brought us through different countries:
Prag, Tschechien
Prague, Czech Republich
Dominik and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary this year - we treated ourselfes and did this in Prag, Czech Republic. The week before our trip,there was a very bad flood in Europe and the City of Prag was also affected. So we had to to change our plans and spent "only" 1 1/2 days there. It´s one of the most beautiful cities in the world - so many architectures in one building! Prag doesn´t tear their old buildings down - on the contrary - they restore them and that´s what makes the city so breath taking beautiful. We definitely need to go back there!
just a few pics to give you an impression - there are many more (pics and impressions ;-))!
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
1 1/2 years I waited and earned my money to attend the 20-year-reunion of Temple Square - where I spent my mission. I was able to go there for 10days aaaaaaaaaall by myself!I cried and loughed a lot; oh - how I enjoyed the time. Now looking through the pictures, it seems like a dream!
Many thanks to everybody who made this possible - especially m y f a m i l y !!!!
only one picture - otherwise there would be too much!
Kärnten, Österreich
Carinthia, Austria
We spent a week on our farm we like a lot!This year the kids learned how to handle big-babies and rabbit-babies. After asking for 2 weeks our youngest one (2years) finally was able to horsebackride! We saw another time the beauty of a part of Austria. Another time Austria approved that it has about everything.......except the beach.
Santa Porto Margherita, Italy
a 3-hour-drive brought us to Italy to the BEACH! The weather cast wasn´t the best for this week, but we spent at least 3 whole days there.
Really - there´s nothing better than the sun, the sea and the feeling of sand between your toes!
beeing on vacation means for me: spending a loooong time on the air mattress just hearing the water, the different sounds of languages and thinking my thoughts.
Life can be so good - especially when you are blessed to live in a nice part of Europe!
Well unfortunately life has to go on - so the normal life is back again - but the memories are still there!
"family rules"
I was looking for this for a long time - saw a few on the internet - but wanted one which fits our family.
I don´t like the word "rules" so I skipt it....
following my last post I finally had time to get into the
"christmast-mood". The week before I took a week off work - so I was free for the last two weeks in 2012!!! Yeah! I had engouh time to scrap my presents in the evening hours, doing laundry not only at the weekend, doing grocery shopping with just one kid and I was quite relaxed as the kids got home - all in all I really hadn´t have this typical christmasstress.
We had my parents and one brother over - but no stress with THE dinner. Mum cooked it at her home and brought it over - I just had to cook the things around the Tafelspitz - it was plain and simple but sooo delicioius.
Well - this year we told the kids that we would like to concentrat more on the purpose of christmas so we decided just to open ONE present and the other ones the next morning. To our surprise they didn´t really complain. So this year we had no fidget, no hurry to come to the "present-part", no moaning "when do we open the presents?" every two seconds - oh how enjoyable!!!
On the contrary - the kids prepared the spiritual part. Laura, our oldest one prepared little sheets whit the programm flow on the computer and copied the lyrics of the christmas songs she choose. And than came Christmas to me: Laura and her brother both played christmas songs on their guitars and the rest of us were singing .
But not enough - our "attending school next September - kid" Julia performed us a poem - she was practising with me the whole day and did a very good job. She was very proud to do that and you could see that she felt very comfortable.
Oh and than came the main part for me. I got to play the piano with Laura four-handed!!! I just looove to play four-handed - but with my own child it´s even better!! She did so well! (please let me tell you that ;-) ). As we sang together the other Christmas carols she got up and conducted us (I haven´t seen her before - yap she learned it at her special musicschool) - WHAT a JOY these moments where for me as a mum - so my husband and I thought that somethings we are doing good with brining up our children :-)
Mmmmhhh - with the "present part" we changed our opinion without telling the kids - we wanted to see their joy openinig the presents instead of sleeping in (well sleeping in, happens never - only at christmas time ;-)) )
So there was no precedure as every year at all - THIS year was different and it felt so good - Thank you Heavenly Father!
THAT´s Christmas to a 4kids-mum!
Seit gut 6 Jahren beteilige ich mich an der Aktion Weihnachten im Schuhkarton.
Seit diesen Jahren wiederholt sich eigentlich immer das gleich mit dem Vermerk, dass die damit verbundene Arbeit jedes Jahr mehr wird - so hab ich mich eingehenst mit den Fragen
WARUM tue ich mir das jedes Jahr wieder an?
WARUM melde ich mich immer wieder als Sammelstelle?
WARUM nütze ich meine Zeit nicht anders (z.Bsp.: ins Kino gehen, scrappen, im Netz nach Ideen surfen, Abends faul auf der Couch rumhängen und mit dem Göttergatten quatschen), anstatt Abend für Abend - oder auch zwischendurch - in meinem zur Verfügung gestellten Raum zu sein, und Packerl für Packerl an zu schauen ob eh nichts "verbotenes" dabei ist und dies bis spät in die Nacht hinein - um am nächsten Tag natürlich wieder frisch und munter für die Arbeit und Kids da zu sein - versteht sich!
Da waren schon einige Fragen und Überlegungen - doch die Antwort war einfach:
WEIL auch ich als Mutter froh wäre, wenn meine Kinder einen Augenblick der Freude erleben dürfen und vielleicht wirklich auch noch etwas lebensnotwendiges wie Schuhe erhalten, die gerade JETZT gebraucht werden.
Weil sich an dieser Aktion viele andere Menschen beteiligen , die auch ein wenig von sich teilen wollen - sei es durch ein Packerl oder durch eine Stricklawine, die ausgelöst wurde und das ist gut so!
Weil ich (bis jetzt) die Unterstützung meiner großen und kleine Familie hatte und es schaffbar ist!
WEIL es einfach auch Freude bereitet!!!
Zu guter Letzt spuckte auch noch der Gedanke:
I never said it would be easy....
I only said it would be worth it!
in meinem Hinterkopf - und so ist es!
Ein kleiner snik:
Als ich dann wirklich den letzten Schuhkarton im Transportkarton verstaut hatte, habe ich an diesem Abend den Adeventkalender für unsere Kids gestaltet - das war mir so ein Bedürfnis!!!
ok - und jetzt der ganze Adventkalender
.....mir macht alleine der Anblick Freude!.....
da mits gerecht ist: 24(!!!) Liebesbotschaften für meinen Liebsten!
This year we were very afraid that our easter would be very snowy - but luckely it got much warmer again!! no frozen eggs ;-)
Wir dachten schon, dass wir dieses Jahr unsere Ostereier im Schnee suchen müssen - zum Glück wurde es dann doch sehr schön und warm!
These typical boild wool jackets are called
"Janker" and are handmade by their grandma and her sister - they but a lot of love and work in them. Each Janker has different buttons.
Diese typischen Janker sind von der Oma und deren Schwester mit viel Liebe und Arbeit geschaffen worden. Jeder Janker hat eigens für das Kind ausgesuchte Knöpfe.
Thank you Oma and Tante Lisi!
Timo (16months) was kissing and hugging his cousin Enya (20months) - a very sweet moment for the observers!
Timo (16Monate) hatte seine Cousine Enya (20 Monate) umarmt und geküsst - tja und der Fotograf hat diesen süßen Moment aus der Sicht der Beobachter eingefangen!
Being nice must be rewarded with sweets!
Wenn man sooo nett ist, muss dieses mit Süßem belohnt werden!
Precious time/Kostbare Zeit
Timo just turned 2months with his charming smile!
Timo gerade 2 Monate alt mit seinem charmanten Lächeln!
Just 2 months ago Timo was born. Every familymember is enjoying the time with him. Not to mention that there is no time for mum to do other things. Often we wonder were the time has gone. The important things like daily cooking,getting the laundry done, ironing, taking the kids everywhere, checking homeworks, a little bit of cleaning and not to forget nursing and cuddling Timo, fulfill a whole day. No wounder that days, weeks and months are flying by like nothing. So there´s no time for mum´s hobbies like scrapbooking or playing the piano. Sure somtimes it´s itching me very hard to do such things but right in this very moment Timo is awake and I prefer to spend my time with him. But I´m doing this willingly - as with his younger sister to fast time flys by and those chubby cheeks are grown up, they want to get dressed by themselves and spending their time with friends. This special, precious time won´t come back - NOW is the time to enjoy it!So I will do it!
Gerade mal vor 2 Monate ist unser Timo geboren worden. Die Zeit mit ihm gemeinsam wird von jedem Familienmitlgied genossen - auch wenn ich als Mama zu gar nicht viel mehr komme. Oft fragen wir uns wo die Zeit geblieben ist. Die wichtigen Dinge wie täglich Essen kochen, Wäsche waschen, bügeln, Taxi spielen, Hausaufgaben kontrollieren, bißchen Wohnung putzen und nicht zu vergessen zwischen durch Timo zu stillen, liebhaben und kuscheln, erfüllen die Tage und Wochen, sodaß die Monate nur so dahin schwinden. Zeit für Privates wie scrappen, mal einfach ans Klavier setzten und spielen, bleibt nicht. Es juckt mich manchmal wirklich schon sehr etwas creatives zu machen - aber gerade dann ist Timo wach und ich widme meine Zeit lieber ihm. Dies tue ich aber dann auch sehr gerne, denn wie schon bei seiner jüngeren Schwester Julia, verfliegt die Zeit einfach zu schnell und plötzlich sind sie groß die kleinen, lieben Pausbacken, möchte sich selber anziehen und verbringen den Nachmittag lieber mit Freunden. Diese besondere, kostbare Zeit ist einfach nicht mehr einzuholen - so muss man sie JETZT genießen - now is the time!
CHRISTMAS 2010 
This year has been brought a lot of changes in our family life! And we are very thankful that they were all positiv!
LAURA (8 years) got baptised this year and started with piano lessons besides her gitare lessons at the school of music - and she´s doing fine with both instruments. She is a very strong support to her mother with her little brother Timo. She has 1 1/2 year left at elementary school and is doing quite good. Now you have to be careful because she´s starting to read everything.....
so does CHRISTOPH (6 years), who started school this year - he is almost done with learning the ABC - so wherever he is - he starts to read the letters. He is very proud of his little brother and he´s very happy to have him (there a girls all around him - in the neighborhood and family!).
JULIA (just turned 4 years) is now the only one going to the kindergarten (you know it´s different here in Europe) She also takes care of her little brother - in case Laura or Christoph are not available! She loves music - if you don`t know where she is - just listen - somewhere in the house you can hear her singing!
TIMO (at this time 5 weeks) didn´t have an easy start into life with his 4870g and57cm (10 lbs 11 oz and 22.44 inches - he got stuck with his shoulders) - but with a lot of help from heaven he made it and none was hurt - neither him nor his mother. He brought so much joy in our lives and is very much loved by his extended family. There´s always someone who is with him cuddling and kissing him!
Dominik, the patriarch from this increasing family, changed his job - and so does his life. He has now more time for himself and his job is only 10min away from home.
Sabine, the mum from the cloverleaf, quit both of her jobs and stayed home because of her pregnancy - the very end wasn´t easy but at the end she made it! She is very much in love with her third man in life (he gained 1kilo(13.2 pounds) in 3weeks!!!) and his double chin!
You see that this year was very exited to our family but we truly know that this only happens because of heavenly father who is taking care of us. We feel so blessed through many things - they are big and small. We are thankful to have him in our life and work with him as a team
