My life with boys...

Fun, easy game to do with kids

2012-01-26T12:23:00.003+01:00

Eli came up with this game that I think he did at ovoda... but it is really simple, easy and gets kids moving, laughing, and TIRED :) Courtney, I thought of you and thought this would be an easy game for all your kids to do together... you wouldn't even have to do it with them if you didn't want to ;)

Maybe there is already a game like this in English... but I know it in Hungarian... "Tuz, Viz, Repulo." I think I spelled fly right?!?!?! Of course without all the accents.... It is translated as "Fire, Water, Fly."

Simple. You just shout out one of the words and the kids do the action as quickly as possible. I think it is technically an "out" game, but we just play for fun with the boys doing it as fast as possible. You can do it either way, but with two it would just cause arguments and frustrations.... and so we keep it simple and just have fun being silly. They love it if we do it with them, but I love sitting on the couch watching them. Seriously, Jasper laughs the entire time and never stops and begs to keep playing.

Tuz/Fire, they have to line up flat against a wall. Viz/Water, they have to sit down. And Repul/Fly, they have to lay flat on the ground like they are flying. That is it. So simple, yet produces such laughter and so much fun. I love that they love it. I could add more things to the mix, but they love it this way and maybe we will in the future :)

They ask to play it every night. I do it to help burn off extra energy. And I like to hear Jasper laugh :)

I love these boys... and they are growing up too fast!

Oh and do you see the tie Jasper is wearing? He is totally into ties now and wears one of the two he has all the time and with everything, mostly tee shirts. He thinks he is so cool and he is :)

It has been nice having Zach home these past few Friday nights... FEK hasn't started up yet and he hasn't had to be gone on a Friday... so it is a perfect opportunity for us to play games together as a family... and it has been so fun and more fun now that Jasper can play with us. Love it!

2 favorite recipes...

2012-01-24T08:14:00.000+01:00

There are 2 new favorite recipes around here... One are some amazingly yummy bars that are easy to make, make a lot and would sure to impress guests for dinner... Here is the website, check it out... YUM Here is the recipe though... so I have it to refer to quickly from my blog....

Dark Chocolate Ganache Filled Brown Sugar Bars...

*Makes 32 small bars*
INGREDIENTS:
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 ¾ cups packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray the bottom of a 10 by 15-inch baking sheet (jelly roll size pan) with cooking spray or lightly coat with butter. Line the pan with wax paper and then butter and lightly flour the paper and sides of the pan.
Whisk together the flour and salt in a small bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating just until well blended. The batter will be fairly stiff.
Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a wooden toothpick comes out clean but not dry; do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Bring the cream just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Place the finely chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the finely chopped chocolate and stir gently to combine until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Let the ganache stand at room temp for 20-30 minutes to set. It should be spreadable but not runny.
Invert the brown sugar cake again onto a large cutting board. Cut the cake crosswise in half with a long serrated knife (just like you would cut a sandwich in half to share with someone – NOT like you would cut a cake into two layers, the bars are too thin for that). Spread the ganache evenly on one half of the cake to within 1/8 inch of the edges. Carefully set the other cake half on the top, matching the cut edges. Cover and refrigerate until the ganache is set, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
To serve, trim the uncut edges of the cake. Cut the cake lengthwise into 4 strips then cut each strip into 8 rectangles. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Recipe Source: adapted from Luscious Chocolate Desserts

Be warned... this oatmeal is amazing. I wanted something healthy for my kids to eat for breakfast and so I remembered a food blog I like... and this woman Lynn does many different versions of baked oatmeal. So, I have been making them and LOVE them. They are almost like dessert for me. I have to be careful and this one is my new favorite one. The great thing about these oatmeal bakes are you can add whatever you want to them to make them yummy... and they are!!!!

Cranberry Orange Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup milk ( I used coconut milk)
3/4 cup orange juice (I might add more of this, a cup next time. Love the orange flavor!!!)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon orange zest
3 cups whole oats
1 1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup chopped pecans or slivered almonds (I didn't add nuts to mine)
1/2 cup shredded coconut ( I am not sure how much of this I added, but I added enough to cover the top of the dish...and it is yummy)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9″ by 13″ baking dish. Whisk together oil, brown sugar, eggs, baking powder, milk and orange juice. Stir in oats, cranberries and orange zest. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle oatmeal evenly with pecans and coconut. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes.

Boy Scouts Swim

2012-01-23T08:30:00.000+01:00

There was a fun open swim day at the American School here. It is a HUGE beautiful compound that is amazing. I couldn't believe it, it was a state of the art school with a huge pool and amazing sports grounds. I have seen nothing like it in Hungary. Eli loved playing in the water with dad but Jasper didn't want to get in. He just wanted to hit Eli with noodles or play in the gym....

I got to talk to the American Ambassador for Hungary... and I didn't even know she was the American Ambassador. She was super nice and I really just liked her purple pants :) She put her kids in a full immersion Chinese school in San Francisco and so I had lots of questions for her.

She really encouraged us to put Eli in a national school and let him get the language down. We have been trying to figure out his schooling and we are praying about it. It was good to hear her feedback!

Eli and Zach had a great time playing in the pool...

Jasper was so funny trying to "get" Eli in the pool...

After swimming the boys wanted to run around the gym. It was amazing how the gym was so big and just like gyms in America... it was so bizarre.... Eli loved playing with some boys, taking turns rolling each other up in it and then unrolling them. It was so funny to watch...

Lots of tumbling... Jasper was really good at it :)

He was so fast and loved running off all his energy. I cannot wait to have a bigger place for him to run off his energy!!! Love this little guy.

Eddie spends the night

2012-01-22T08:01:00.000+01:00

Eli's friend Eddie came over so his parent's could get away for the night together to celebrate JR's birthday. We were so happy to do this. We love this family!!! Eddie and Eli played lots of games... mostly video games and loved it. Jasper felt a little left out, so we played a game together and he was thankful for that.

I let Jasper watch the Letter Factory and I was surprised when the older boys came out and wanted to watch it too, I love that they are older but still liked it. I am not in a rush for them to grow up!!!

Then later that night we went to a farewell party for Jasper's teacher. She and her husband own a bar and so we met at the bar and brought the boys for the first part of it. LOL. Only in Europe... never would happen in America unless in the movie Sweet Home Alabama. So, the boys went to the game table while the adults all chatted.... it was fun and the boys liked it for the most part!

One of the families brought her flowers. We love Nina. It is sad she had to leave. Here in Hungary when a woman has a baby, she gets 3 year maternity leave. Well, the woman who was the teacher before Nina, her 3 years were up in December so we had to say goodbye to Nina and a new teacher arrived. It was so sad for us, because teachers have come and gone, but Nina has been constant for us and she is one of those ladies that are MADE to work with kids. She has so much patience, love and joy being around them. She is amazing and she will be missed. She is such a blessing to our family and we love her.

Jasper didn't get to say goodbye before we left for Kuwait in December, so this is the first he saw her since mid december and he was so excited to see her and doesn't understand why she won't be there. But I must say, he has met the new teacher and he likes her and isn't upset anymore. Very resilient.

I am going to miss all these moms when we leave. They have been so nice to me and I really like them.

The boys enjoying the brownies I made for Nina, her favorite. And Eli with Nina...

Saying goodbye as they leave ...

The next day we took the kids to Eleven Park. A huge indoor playgym. So much fun for them to run off energy, it was Eddie's first time and the Noltiereke kids joined us there too. I got to hang out with Jen and that was awesome! Sadly there are no pics of Eddie and Eli because Eddie's parents got him and Eli and Zach left for a boy scout event... so it was Jen and the kids and me and Jasper... so i broke out the camera.

They loved riding the cars....

Had fun jumping on the bouncy thing as well....

Then the kids came back to our house for about an hour to play. It was fun but Ben said it correctly that next time he wanted Eli and Jasper to come to his house because it is bigger. It is hard having a bunch of kids in our flat, it is too small. I am praying when we get to Asia we will have a bigger place and can have kids to our house more. This is why I don't entertain families at our flat, there isn't much room for them. This makes me super sad. I wish I could do it more!!! Jasper and Cade playing with the Bento food boxes the boys got from Qatar airways.... it was their detective kits :)

skyping with Grandma Kathy

2012-01-21T07:31:00.000+01:00

The boys miss having Grandma Kathy around. Heck, WE MISS having Grandma Kathy around. If any year we could have really used their help, it is this year. But God knew. He knew that they had a great new job to go to and that we would as well. But that doesn't make it any easier having them gone. We miss her!

Here are the boys talking to her...

We are soooo excited because they are coming to visit at the end of Feb :) Yippee... we cannot wait!!!!

Spiritual Emphasis Week at Eli's school ICSB

2012-01-20T16:30:00.000+01:00

Zach was asked to be the middle school speaker for chapel during spiritual emphasis week. Usually he cannot do this, but this year he was able to. It was a blessing that I was able to go twice this week to see him and encourage him. He did a great job. The two talks I gave were so good for ME to hear. SO THANKFUL to be married to this man. He is a blessing and a gift to me.

Here is the worship team and students singing to the Lord.

Zach giving one of his talks, in a very expressive way....

A captured audience....

It was so nice to have Austin pray over Zach and our family after the end of the week. All the students came up to Zach and said something or shook his hand. It was so cool to see. A blessing.

They gave us a few gifts for speaking to the middle school kids. One was a really nice steak dinner with Lori and Austin. We got to know Austin more this evening and Lori we have known ever since we have been here. Lori has known Zach since he was little. It was sooo yummy. You can only eat steak out at a restaurant, so this was a huge gift... and delicious. We really enjoyed our time with them!

They also gave us a nice gift basket full of goodies...

The basket had a great calendar of the Parliament building, some yummy chocolate, a Hungary Starbucks mug, and a famous Hungarian box with our name on it. It was so thoughtful and nice. It also included the nicest card!!!!! It was a fun surprise and one we are super thankful for.

Teacher gifts....

2012-01-20T09:31:00.001+01:00

I didn't get my act together before Christmas. I just wanted to enjoy the season more than think of all the gifts I needed to get for people. So, I decided to make some gifts with Eli AFTER Christmas. So, here we are making a sugar/salt scrub for his teachers. It was super fun and easy to make. I was thankful.

I followed the recipe here, but I will share with you what I did. I put in 1.5 cups sugar, .5 cups salt. Then I added 1 cup olive oil and some of the drops from Bath and Body Works that I had. They are the concentrated drops that you put on the cloth for air fresheners. It is sooo easy and good and keeps your skin hydrated. We made 3, one for each of his teachers and 1 for us. It was fun to make with Eli. But he was so funny, he had no idea what he was making and couldn't explain it to his teacher. He just gave it to her and said "I don't know what it is, but it is for you and hope you like it." lol

update on ankle

2012-01-20T09:17:00.003+01:00

Thanks to all who have asked about my ankle. It is getting better. It is still a little swollen and doesn't feel right yet, but better. I walk on it and even have been able to do the elliptical at the gym when it is wrapped up. So, I am thankful for that. You can tell how much I have changed about exercise... in the past this would have been an excuse to not do anything... and just stop the idea of exercise all together, but sitting on my butt for a week behind the computer drove me mad. I couldn't wait to get back to the gym and I am going. It is great to see this progress. I am thankful for that!!!!

The day this happened Zach left for Slovakia and I was alone. Eli stayed the night with friends close to the school so that they could take him in the morning and I didn't have to worry about getting him. Jasper was home with me and that was easy enough. Heidi came over and hung out with me all night and it was super fun :) Loved it. Here she is reading to Jasper before bed. He of course needs to wear his sunglasses to be cool... but keeps asking me to put the light on because it is too dark inside...lol. Thanks for coming over and hanging out with me Heidi...loved it.

Emotional Ups and Downs...

2012-01-20T09:09:00.001+01:00

It has been an emotional week... Last week on Monday, I fell while walking down the steps to the gym and twisted my ankle. I had to stay off of it for a week and it was hard, but I took that time to work on my blog books. When I first started blogging, I didn't realize I could turn my blog into books...so I wasn't "thinking" that way. Then when I found out about it, I was already over a year behind... so as of this week I had only done 2008 and 2009, but had not even started 2010 or 2011. Every year I think "If I could just get caught up." And so I decided I would while sitting on the couch propping my ankle up. If I was forced to rest and stay off my ankle, then I would be productive. I have been wanting to do this anyway, because I will have to shut down this blog once we get closer to moving and so I wanted to make sure I had it all in book form before i shut the blog down. Well, I spent ALL last week, over 12 hours a day working on these books. 2010 and 2011. And I had them finished by Friday at dinner time. I was sooo excited. So, I declared it game night with the family and we made caramel popcorn... it was so yummy and fun. Although both boys said that they wanted plain popcorn and could I redo it for them. Eventually the liked it, but not at first.

But the week was emotional because the book got lost TWICE while I was working on it. Thankfully in 2011 I didn't talk too much, so I was able to finish that one in about 2 days, but the 2010 one was a nightmare. It was 15GB and almost 400 pages. The first time it was "lost" the blurb people could help me find it. The second time they couldn't and JR at the area office was able to help me recover it on a pc. The problem was that my MAC kept turning my book into a "unix executable file" and it wouldn't open. It was ridiculous. I looked online to see if others have this problem and they do and it happens with a mac doesn't understand the program or the path of the program and just decides to label it as this unix thing because it is confused. Which makes my book unable to open. Now the booksmart (blurb) program won't recognize the path of this unix thing and so it won't open. It was all there, it just wouldn't open.

So, I took it to our area office and thankfully the 3rd guy who looked at it was able to figure it out. He is a true gift from God. I was already resolving myself that I would have to do it ALL over again and I was trying not to cry about it. I was reading in James about having Joy in suffering... and although this isn't physical suffering it sure was mental & emotional suffering for me. So, for JR to recovery it was a HUGE miracle for me. For some reason though, when he retrieved it, it was missing 15 pages and 120 pages were messed up. So, I was able to go in and work on it all morning on his computer. Then upload from the office which was faster and was uploaded in about 9 hours. The picture I have of me uploading it from home above... was saying it would take 24 hours...and in the middle of the night it timed out and the internet went out... and then the program shut itself down and that is when I lost the book. It somehow became a unix file after that. And that is when I cried. It is such a gift from the Lord that I was able to get my book back and I don't take that lightly. I am thankful to the Lord for giving me this gift. Gift of time, my hard work and that he helped my attitude be good throughout this situation. That was such a blessing!!!!

So, the game night was super fun, and I was thankful that the Lord allowed us to be able to enjoy the night together playing games together. We played Skip Bo, Spiderman Bingo, and a fun story telling game that Eli LOVED and especially LOVED when it was Zach's turn to tell his part of the story. He wanted to play that game over and over and over. He even woke up asking if we could play the story game. It was super fun.

Jasper wasn't into the story game, so he ate popcorn and played cars next to me. Such a cutie! So, both blog books are ordered and they should arrive the first week of Feb to us in Hungary :) And now I am going to keep up with 2012 so that it is ready to go in Dec or Jan when the year is done and I will never let myself get that far behind again. I do love these books... so I am thankful to have them.

twisted/sprained ankle

2012-01-09T13:37:00.000+01:00

Well, I dropped Jasper off at school and Zach was going to take Eli.... BEFORE he left for Slovakia... he is speaking there and doing talks tomorrow... so an over nighter....

And I go off to the gym... as I am walking down the steps to the gym, I am holding my itouch and reading a book. I misstep and fall and shooting pain surrounds my ankle. I call Zach and he helps to calm me down. I am afraid because I am not sure how to get home, how to get the kids from school... and I am in pain....

He was able to calm me enough for me to try stepping on it to the elevator... and I get in and leave the gym. I realize that I can step on it, but it is in pain. That is a good sign.

I get on the bus and call Zach to meet me at the stop. And he helps me get home. We decide he should get Jasper at school so I don't have to wobble there later to get him. They come back and I am in tears from pain and have my ankle propped up with frozen peas and berries around my ankle.

Zach leaves for Slovakia and thankfully I have found some people that can help me with Eli. I think he will spend the night with a family near the school (the Pecks) and that way I don't have to worry about getting him to school tomorrow with my ankle. I don't think I can drive. Hopefully Zach will be back to get Eli from school tomorrow.

Why does stuff like this always happen when husbands are out of town...or going out of town? Thankful for friends and the fact I can put pressure on it to walk to the bathroom and get Jasper some things. But it is still throbbing and in pain. I don't think it is bad, but just not good. If that makes sense. Don't trust myself to drive on it. But hopefully it won't take long for me to get back to normal. If you think of me, please pray for quick healing!!!! Thanks!

Gellert Hill....

2012-01-06T10:12:00.000+01:00

The boys have been on electronic restriction for a few days... they have had the worst attitudes and just really moody and not kind. So, I said no tv, no video games, no handle held games... nothing. It was hard for them at first, but then their creativity came out and it has been sooo nice and fun for them. Here they are playing with clay. I have no idea what they were doing but it occupied them for over an hour and for me that was heavenly. I have had lots of work to do, so this was helpful.

Zach came home from work a bit early and it was twilight... it was a mild night and we thought it would be fun to climb up Gellert Hill and take some fun photos in the twilight....

The boys wanted to climb up the statue pillars... and the sunset was so beautiful....

I couldn't get the background to not be blurry... but this was the blurriest shot, and I liked it :)

My boys.... so blessed

Their favorite part of the trip up Gellert Hill was being able to play on the cannons. They could spend all day on them fighting the bad guys... and it was cold and it didn't even phase them!

Zach having to work.... the boys didn't mind playing on the cannons while dad had to take a call.

I couldn't get my camera out quicker... but here is a shot of the tram with christmas lights on it. So fun!

Then we went to MOM Park for dinner at Vapianno's... yummy soup and salad... and there was this very STRANGE, SAD manger out front.... we thought it should be on some sort of website about dysfunctional, real mangers around the world.... We see the normal Mary, Joseph, then (from the left) a HHUGE cow, next to a snowman.... then on the right hand side are 2 sleeping somethings wrapped up. IIsn't that strange. It made me laugh and it is rather small... so it was just an odd thing to see.

IIt was a fun night and a fun surprise to have dad home early to hang out with us. :)

Surreal Moment and some Random thoughts

2012-01-04T20:05:00.001+01:00

This post is going to be all over the place. Sorry.

Trying to go through my email in box of over 500. Daunting. Not too possible with kiddos around and trying to give them some mommy time as well.
I am so munchie... why is that around that time of the month? So crazy and absurd. Thought I would make some "healthy" granola, but then I figured out the calories in it... and Granola is HIGH in calories, super yummy, and highly addictive... NOT A GOOD COMBINATION. If you want the recipe, let me know... yum
Tonight at dinner, I try to get Jasper to eat his veggies by telling him that Rock Stars eat their veggies. His reply "Well, I AM a REAL rock star, and THIS rock star doesn't like veggies." Eli and I just looked at each other and we burst out laughing...
After dinner Eli asked what was for dessert. I told him there was no dessert tonight. I explained how he already ate a chocolate csiga, chocolate chip cookies and a small brownie piece I was trying to get rid of. I told him he already had dessert. He replied "mom, dessert comes AFTER dinner, not before, silly... so can I have some?" He cracks me up!
Working on my blog book. I couldn't find pictures from June 2010-April 2011. Seriously, that is a LOT... and I was getting so frustrated... then God graciously helped me find them today. So thankful. I cannot slurp my photos into blurb, they are all too small... do any of you have an issue with that? Is there a way to fix that? Courtney, does it do it to you? It doesn't for Kristen. I wish mine would load higher. The originals are all high resolution, so they should be fine. Confused.
Zach said he was okay with me not going to Chinese lessons right now, because I am so overwhelmed with things that I need to keep doing before I leave.... I just cannot think/study/concentrate on learning a new language right now. I KNOW it will help me to study BEFORE I go, but I just have sooo much other stuff to do and think about BEFORE we leave. I was so thankful when he said that I could stay home... this was a HUGE weight off my shoulders. I have been working hard and praying that I have enough time to get it all done. I guess I have to, don't I....lol

The surreal moment was... we took our Christmas tree/decorations down today. In doing that, we thought through what we wanted to take to China and what we wanted to get rid of and what to keep and put in the basement. We officially have 2 boxes of Christmas decorations/stuff to bring. Our first 2 boxes are packed up ready to go... that is HUGE. On so many levels....

I am off to work on emails.... thankfully there are so many old ones, I am assuming they will just need to be deleted.... prayerfully. How do you all keep up with emails? My inbox is always so full. ugh.

A fitness update and some thoughts...

2012-01-03T11:38:00.003+01:00

Well, the challenge is officially over, but we all still are going to keep up on myfitnesspal.com. I did not place... it was a bit of an up an down roller coaster for me. I had a good weight loss, but it was sporadic (gaining/loosing, weird). Then we went to Kuwait and I somehow gained 10lbs. I didn't watch what I ate, and I didn't think about food choices much at all. There are a ton of American restaurants and we just enjoyed them. It also didn't help that right before we left Zach said "I would love it if you stopped loosing weight now." This was not motivation to keep loosing. I did work out daily, but it didn't seem to help. It was eye opening to me that I still cannot just eat what I want and the time in Kuwait was excessive... but still. I am not in a position I can just slack off... maybe not for another year.

After Kuwait, we had lots of parties and the boys wanted cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning... I usually don't make them, so it was a treat. I mentally checked out after gaining so much in Kuwait. When I was bigger... I would hear people say "I just would feel so much better if I lost 10 lbs." And I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THAT... because 10lbs to a heavy person is nothing. But since the trip, I have gained roughly 15lbs (again, takes NOTHING for me to gain weight, even working out daily). And I can feel it. Definitely. I now understand. ( I got down to 155.6, and then up to 167lbs... my goal is around 145)

I am afraid to go on the scale. I will once my monthly cycle is finished (because it should come soon) and then I will have a more accurate view of my weight. I am thinking it will be 10lbs over. I will now have 15-20lbs to loose to reach my goal. I am praying I reach it by the end of March... this is my goal. My 1 year anniversary.

I am recommitted. Went to the gym all last week and this week. I didn't start watching my diet as strictly until yesterday and so I am on the right tract again today. I have learned a lot and KNOW that this has to be a LIFE CHANGE... and not just a diet. This makes total sense. I do think in the future I can reduce some exercise and let my diet have indulgences once or twice a week, but NO MORE. And I have to keep the junk that tempts me out of the house. OUT OF THE HOUSE. This is key.

Re-reading Anne's book... I came across the part of her talking about Jacob wrestling God... and here are some excerpts that hit me this time reading it personally in regards to my weight journey.....

"The Lord has to break us down at the strongest part of our self-life before He can have His own way of blessing with us."
"Wrestle with God, beg to see the blessings... and all faces become the face of God. See?"
"We've dug in our nails and we haven't let go until the blessings; we have practiced, we have extended, we have clung and we've been rung out. We have panted it and we've cupped palm to the heavens. "Bless me. I won't let go."'
"There is no seeing God face to face without first the ripping.
Tear the thigh to open the eye.
Wrench the socket of the hip, the tough grizzle of the heart, and the heal the socket of the eye. It takes practice, wrenching practice, to break open the lids. But the secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is."

This is something that I have to "dig my nails into and not let go until I receive the blessings." Something that I have to "practice, clung to and been rung out." I wrestle with this daily..... It is something that keeps me on my knees before the Lord and I am so thankful for this. I am thankful for the dependence on Him in this. It is a reminder that I need to be this way in ALL areas of my life. Thankfully God is gracious with me and I am learning... I do believe I am :)

New Year thoughts...

2012-01-03T11:13:00.001+01:00

I have been thinking through the upcoming year and all the changes that we will have. In a way it is good to know about them, yet still a bit overwhelming when I think about it. New Year's Eve I let my heart go to the fact we are leaving. Mentally I am there, packing, organizing, cleaning out things... but emotionally... I am so not there and don't want to be there until right before we leave. I don't think I could function under the weight of it all.

As I think through all the changes coming for us... i do tend to get overwhelmed, so to be honest... I try not to think too much about it. It is so easy for me to worry, for me to get stressed... for me to just cave into this recluse place and sit in fear of all the unknown's. My dear friend Ingrid who just moved here sees it all as an adventure. She loves learning Hungarian and sees everything as an adventure. I WANT to see this upcoming move that way. I WANT so desperately to see this as an adventure, not a stress.

Then in my quiet time with the Lord today, I read these words from Ann Voscamp, A Thousand gifts: A Dare to Live Fully right where you are. (If you haven't read her book it is great, reading it again... it is so practical in so many ways... and she has a blog I have been following for years... )

"Stress isn't only a joy stealer. The way we respond to it can be sin."
"Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. " John 14:1NIV
"Oh the joys of those who trust in the LORD." Psalm 40.:4
"I can't fill with joy until I learn to trust: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow" Romans 15:13
"The full life, the one spilling joy and peace happens only as I come to trust the caress of the Lover, Lover who never burdens His children with shame or self condemnation but keeps stroking the gears with gentle grace."
"If I believe then I must let go and trust. Why do I stress? Belief in God has to be more than a mental assent, more than a cliched exercise in cognition. Even the demons believe." (James 2:19)
"Belief is a verb, it is something you must do."
"The very real, everyday action of trusting."
"If authentic, saving belief is the act of trusting, then to choose stress is an act of disbelief."

I have only scratched the surface of this thought. I am meditating on this and asking God to help me TRUST HIM this year in ALL ASPECTS of my life. It is so easy to look at my circumstances, to look at all the things we need to get done before moving, all the paperwork, all the finances involved, having to get things for a WHOLE new place... leaving with just 8 suitcases... oh my.

So, this New Year I am asking God to help me Trust Him more. To keep my eyes focused on Him more. To learn to see life through His eyes. All this will help me be a better wife, mother, friend, disciple. And to me, this would be such a blessing to fully be able to trust. To fully be able to give thanks, to fully be able to love God and love others.

I am sad to confess this makes me nervous, even though I KNOW it will only make life better for me. I worry, I stress, I have anxiety... those come naturally to me. But with God all things are possible!!!!

New Year's Day...

2012-01-01T19:52:00.001+01:00

Thankfully Zach woke up feeling better, but boy did he sleep. I took advantage of this time and worked on catching up on all the blog (including this post, that makes 30 new entries today). Boy was that exhausting... I am planning to keep up with it in the new year... we will see. I love the blog books, but hate all the work going into it, and when I am working on them, I tend to NOT want to blog, because it creates more entries for me later... I know...LAME. But it is how I feel. So, today I got caught up in 2011. While I worked on the entries, Zach worked on some seminars he will be teaching on Tuesday and the boys napped since they went to bed around 1 but got up at 7... I know CRAZY. I also got about a 1 hour nap in too. Then we went off to McDonald's for dinner so Zach and I could talk while the boys ran off some energy. It was perfect for the both of us and it was pretty empty which was nice.

Eli even got a picture of the two of us.... I love how it is angled... Eli is precious!

This McDonald's has a "game" room too and Eli had fun playing a game with Dad, but REALLY wanted to play air hockey but there was a couple there that was NOT going to give up the table... they were in an intense match and so we told Eli we would come back later to play with him. He was sad.

Jasper had fun playing a driving Mario game, but he kept driving into the rail and just getting stuck, which didn't seem to bother him but annoyed me, so I tried to help him... he just wanted me to watch him. I love that boy... he was so content running and just playing around.

Zach and I took this time to write out a few personal goals, ministry goals, family goals, and talk a bit about our future. It wasn't a long time, but God was so gracious to make it a really rich time to really hear each other's hearts and be able to help encourage each other and pray with each other through these goals. It was a blessing and a great way to start the New Year. I am so thankful for my family. The Lord is doing BIG things in our family this year and allowing us BIG opportunities to TRUST FULLY in HIM, so we are excited and I confess I am a bit nervous about it all. Thankful I have a husband who I can depend on and who depends upon the Lord!!!! It makes me feel secure and safe with all the new things going on in our families lives. What a great place to be.... at least in theory :)

New Years Eve

2012-01-01T15:26:00.003+01:00

Well, it started off with me going to the gym to do 2 of Catherine's classes that ended up being 3 hours long with LOTS of squats and I burned 900 calories. Which was good since there was lots of weight lifting and squats... not huge amounts of cardio... anyway... it felt good, because I got a sinus infection I have been trying to fight with sudafed but finally broke down and got an antibiotic. I still haven't felt great, but getting better. My tummy has been hurting too, so I haven't worked out in 2 days.... so this was a lot all at once... but it felt sooo good and right doing it. I miss our gym and cannot wait to get back into the routine of eating better/right and working out. I have learned a lot this break!!!!

The plan was for the dad's to watch kids and the girls to go to the church service that night. Zach got sick and was in bed all day. So, I took the kids early to Jen's and Ryan graciously watched them so that I could go to church with the girls. The service was lots of singing and reflecting on the past year and thinking through the upcoming year. I allowed myself during this time to emotionally lay before God my thoughts about moving and I cried... a lot. I was fine until Jen leans over and says "God's telling me that you aren't supposed to go to Asia...." and then 10 minutes later Rivers sits back with us and says "God doesn't want you moving to Asia Juie." Again... tears flowing... then Ingrid, who just moved here comes up and hugs me and tells me how thankful she is that she got to know me this year before I move. I mean, really... HUGE tears.... it was hard to FEEL what is coming. I have been trying not to FEEL, because I cannot go there yet... I have too much to do here and want to be all here for it. So, it was a great night to think through things and get my perspective right.... but it was still hard.

Then we went back to Jen's and the Olson's came too, the Fenz's... fun surprises and treats.... and Lydia had wanted to stay home, then decided she was lonely, sad and bored at home and asked if Deb would come pick her up... but Mandi and her friend were out with the car... so I asked Jen and Rivers if they could watch the boys so that I could go with Deb to get Lydia....

We had a great night eating yummy food, great company, our kids had an awesome time..... and we played at 3 different tables Ticket to Ride. We enjoyed it so much! I am going to miss these families and I thank and Praise God for the friendships I have prayed for and been graciously given in the past few months. It is an answer to prayer and I need to thank God and give him Praise for this gift.

We got home around 1am and the boys promptly got up at 7, so they are napping now...and I am going to go nap too. I am tired...but wanted to catch up on the blog. My New Year's resolution is keep up with the blog again. I am praying I have the time and energy.... Happy New Year!!!

Boxing Day with Gabor and his family

2012-01-01T15:09:00.000+01:00

Zach's childhood friend Gabor and his finance Gretti along with his 2 kids came to our home for dinner. I was so excited they liked my Lentil soup and biscuits. You never know with Lentil soup, but it is delicious and Eli asked me to make it for dinner... so it was easy and I made it for him!

Sadly, Eli was exhausted and went to bed. But Jasper stayed up playing and he was so cute talking to Greti in Hungarian... I wish I video taped it. LOVE IT.

The kids asked to try Guitar Hero, so Zach got it out and taught them how to play.... and then Jasper felt the need (after dancing) to bring out his guitar and play alongside of them. He is such a rock star!

Here he is showing Greti his skills. Love this kid. He is so fun, when he has a nap and is fed :)

It was a great evening with Gabor and his family.

Christmas walk....

2012-01-01T15:03:00.000+01:00

It was such a beautiful day we thought we would just go for a walk and have fun outside a bit together. I am glad we did... the boys seemed to like it too, well not Jasper he is complaining a lot lately! We just thought it would be less crowded and the sun was out :)

Jasper is fascinated with manger scenes... and loves seeing baby Jesus.....

We walked over to the Intercontinental hotel so Zach could get a coffee and an ischler, because his family used to go there in the 80's all the time and we did before kids... and sadly the ischler cookie is just not the same as it used to be... it used to be the BEST cookie ever. Oh well....

Zach's friend Gabor was working, so we stopped by his bus route to wish him a Merry Christmas....

He let both the boys "drive" the bus... they LOVED it and were so excited to sit behind the wheel!!!!

Christmas Morning

2012-01-01T14:53:00.000+01:00

We made the boys stay in their room until we came in around 7am. They just read books and hung out. We did a devotional with them about what God wants for Christmas from them..... they loved it.

Love this shot of them... love these boys!

Their reaction seeing the gifts....

I still had stuff in their stockings from last year... so I just put them in their NEW stockings I got from Pottery Barn Kids in Kuwait on sale for 3KD so about $11. It is a fun memory and they both picked out the snowman one, which is super cute. I am going to have to put their names on it with marker....

They were happy....

Grandpa Franks took us to Aqua World for Christmas... so he sent cards and put in 1000ft for each kid and they were sooooo happy. It is about $5 and you would have thought they won the lottery!

My brother and sister in law sent us a calendar with pics of the family... my boys love looking at it!

opening gifts.....

Dad was even surprised by me this year with this super hero bag... he also surprised me with an ipad version of Ticket to Ride... so fun. We usually don't get each other gifts, so this was a fun surprise.

Eli got this Star Wars Lego set from a generous lady at our home church and I had to laugh at this picture because of Jasper's face. Really, after all the stuff he got, he is complaining.... oh my.

We really asked that the grandparents not buy them stuff, but just get them a Kindle Fire, because that could help us on planes, traveling in general etc... and each set got one for a boy... but it was funny because they didn't know what to do with it.... and it has been nice seeing them figure it out and enjoy it more and more each day. It is definitely a worth while investment for the boys....

I loved that they didn't have much to open and it was a low key Christmas full of things that they are playing with, not just filling up the flat, especially since we are moving!!!

Christmas Eve with the Nolterieke family

2012-01-01T14:39:00.002+01:00

The whole morning at the Partin's Drew kept asking if Eli could come play with him after the brunch. So, the mom's said okay and I would go back up with Jasper later to let Jasper and Cade play after their naps. My boys were still off from the trip to Kuwait. Jen graciously let us stay for dinner and then do the advent with the Jesse Tree with her family during devotions... then we got to watch their boys all open up one gift. My kids did surprisingly well and shortly afterwards, they came and said how tired they were and could we leave so they could go to bed... which is just so precious...so we left. It was really fun being a part of the Nolterieke family tradition with them and being with friends. We are going to miss them so much when we move... the reality is starting to settle in and be scary a bit....

Christmas Eve brunch...

2012-01-01T14:35:00.001+01:00

It was great coming home and then the following day going to the Partin's for the Blocher brunch. :) Our friends John and Jamie Blocher had this brunch at their flat last year and this year they aren't here, so Rivers took over the tradition...and I love it. Thanks Rivers!!! We all brought something and FEASTED...mostly on sweet breakfast items... but they were yummy and some gifts were exchanged. But I didn't get mine ready in time, so I gave them New Year's eve :)

Eli giving his gifts to his friends...

The kids enjoying eating together....

All the adults enjoying yummy foods!

The guys getting ready to play a game... love that they are sitting on the girls pink seats :)

Enjoying some electronic sharing of information/apps something.... not sure what

It was super fun hanging out with dear friends that have become family to us here. It seemed like Christmas already, just being with them and enjoying each other's company.....

Kuwait (Part 7) On the plane...

2012-01-01T14:26:00.001+01:00

Okay, I am going to swipe stuff from Kristen's blog, because she was sooo good at keeping up and documenting it all... so this post is full of her words ...mostly... :)

Dan picked Zach, Julie, Eli and Jasper up from the airport around 3am. They came home and put the boys to bed, then we chatted for a bit downstairs - until 5:15am, when the grown-ups were going to head to bed...our kids were up at 5:20am, so Dan stayed downstairs with the kids while they watched a movie and he slept for a little bit. I climbed into bed and slept until 9am! Jasper and Eli woke up a bit later and we all played for a while upstairs in the playroom until everyone woke up - they went downstairs to have 2nd breakfasts for our kids and Dan and 1st breakfasts for everyone else! :) After getting ready for the day, we all went on an adventure!

The kids ran down to the water with Dan

Julie and I in front of the Towers

Me and my Tweeter with his amazing goatee!

So I'm condensing the rest of the days! We had a great time having Zach, Julie, Eli and Jasper here! It was soo good to get to know them, hear about their lives in Hungary and where God is leading them next, share stories with them, go on mini-adventures around Kuwait with them, enjoy some really delicious food, a date night with them, have our kids get along great and be so sad that they had to leave each other (we've heard "I miss the Anderson's" so many times since Friday morning!), paint with Julie, have Dan play Modern Warfare 3 with Zach, have the guys smoke cigars on our roof and hang out and talk and just have fun!!!

We did some serious eating and shopping of American goods :) Krispie Kreme, Caribou Coffee, Taco Bell, PF Chang's and Papa John's :) As well as Express, American Eagle and Pottery Barn Kids!

Zach and Julie toured the Grand Mosque here and enjoyed a tour by a British lady, we did the Duck Park again, visited the Avenues Mall, Marina Mall, Souk Sharq, the Sultan Center (international grocery store for items they can't get in Hungary) and the Heritage Souk! They were INSANE and IMPRESSIVE and ran home from the Kuwait Towers to our house (12 miles)! And walked in the door not even looking like they had broken a sweat!

We are so thankful they came - we had a great time having them here and the kids loved having Eli and Jasper around :) Now we'll just have to figure out where we'll see them next - in a different country or the States???

Overlooking the Arabian Gulf across from our street

Blowing bubbles outside one beautiful day

Kiddos and Zach in front of Krispie Kreme!

Eli and Jack at Marina Mall

Megan, Kylie and Jasper enjoying their donuts!

Dinner out at PF Chang's! Our babysitter stayed home with the kiddos!

Kiddos climbing on the rope pyramid

Jasper

Kylie and Jasper having fun (and staying near the bottom) :)

Big kids at the top!

Our front hallway with all our shoes (which I LOVE)!!!

The guys gaming it - Dan loved having Zach here to play xBox with him!

Julie's amazing painting! I'm still in the process of mine - it will be finished in time for next Christmas, I'm sure!

Kiddos playing at the Heritage Souk

Zach and Julie at the Heritage Souk enjoying some traditional Arabic tea :)

Here are the kiddos asleep on the way home. Thankfully we were all able to sleep some. It is exhausting traveling.... I wonder if our bodies will ever get used to it. We decided to travel on Qatar airlines and it is NICE. The boys had lots of options to watch/play... the seats recline more and the food was really nice. A great airline & they gave good gifts to the boys including Bento boxes for their meals in the head shape of sponge bob & a sponge bob watch... pretty nice, the boys were pleased.

It was a great last minute idea trip. We are so thankful. But I have a LOT of work to do, to loose all the weight I gained on this trip and the holiday's. I was not good at all.

Kuwait (Part 6) - their home

2012-01-01T14:15:00.000+01:00

It was such a blessing to hang with their family. Our kids LOVED time with their kids and miss them and talk about them a lot. This is the view from their house. No house has been built here, so they have a wonderful view of the water and the kids can play and ride bikes on the sand.... it is dirty there so no swimming here, but they can play if they are careful, which is sooo nice!

The mosque at the end of their street, which faithfully did the call to prayer while we were there, waking us up every morning at 5am :)

A view of their place... again, these houses here are HUGE and this is a duplex.... so 2 different places, but still... HUGE and awesome.... but there were houses we saw (even across the street from them) that were bigger than this whole structure. I would HATE to clean them, but I am sure they have cleaners.

Zach and Dan enjoying some Modern Warfare something.... happy boys!

And they had a Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids there... I know, so weird... and I saw this sign for sale and Kristen and I looked at each other and said "let's paint this, it will be cheaper." And so we did. I finished mine, and Kristen was still working on her masterpiece... she is amazing... cannot wait to see it. I don't like how wobbly my lines are, but only I care about that.... :) I will always remember our time with the Seamen's and being in Kuwait with them every time I see this. And the miles are from Budapest.... isn't that fun. I could customize it, unlike the Pottery Barn one... :)

Kuwait (Part 5) The Heritage Souk

2012-01-01T14:05:00.000+01:00

Some people mentioned to Kristen the Heritage Souk would be a great place to visit, which is like an outdoor market. So, we went and barely got to make a dent in it. With the kids we just traveled a couple of isles. Zach was looking for a great coffee somewhere, but found a tea....

Kids playing while we waited on Zach....

Then the owner brought me a tea, I am thinking...but I didn't like it at all! Too strong.

We got some Krispy Kreme's and gave them to the kids as a treat while we walked around....

The kids were hungry and bored... so it was such a joy to find this awesome park at the end of one of the isles of the souk. All the kids had a great time. Jasper did get hurt at one point and kept yelling "my penis, my penis." Horrified, I was wondering what happened, and he was trying to slide down a pole and I guess hit it too hard... and wanted to show it to me to see if it was bleeding... and in Hungary that would be no problem... BUT NOT in a conservative country like Kuwait. He didn't understand. But we left and went to the park for the little kids and he liked that better. Zach was off exploring and Dan and Kristen stayed with the older kids. It was getting late, so we decided to just go home and order Papa John's pizza to eat. Everyone liked this idea, but there was so much traffic getting home and took a lot longer than we were hoping, so all the kids were a bit grumpy from hunger.

The reason for the traffic was because of a horrible accident. When we got closer to it, we could see a body with a sheet over it, so someone had died in the accident. As I mentioned earlier Kuwait people are wealthy and they all seem to own very RICH, BIG, EXPENSIVE CARS, that I will never own in my lifetime. And they drive like mad. Along the roadside you will see many smashed up cars from accidents. It is common and ridiculous. People apparently like to drive, go shopping, go to restaurants, hang out etc.. with friends all day. It would get so boring to me. It makes me appreciate the gift of work and being able to work hard. It really is a gift.

This is a typical Kuwait staircase, so Dan told us to go up and he would get a shot of us on it.

We got home, ate Papa John's pizza and then the kids said goodnight to each other and I tried, got maybe 2 hours... because we had to leave at 2:30am for the airport.... for the travel home. It is amazing how the middle east seems to travel at night to it's destinations. The airport is always packed!

Kuwait (part 4) the Mosque

2012-01-01T13:52:00.002+01:00

We wanted to visit the Grand Mosque while in Kuwait, and they do English tours for visitors, so Kristen GRACIOUSLY watched our kids for us so we could do the tour... and then after the tour, we all had our packed lunch and then she dropped Zach and I off at Kuwait Towers and we jogged home, it was sunny and 68, beautiful, no humidity. It was 12 miles. I was fine till about 9 miles, then my tummy hurt, so I had to walk to different times for about a block...not much. But I needed a bathroom... we will leave it at that... but it was great and I am glad we did it. But even with that run, I still gained 10 pounds... really? So weird... my body frustrates me sooo much.

Here I am in the proper attire to go into the mosque. Our tour guide was a British woman who converted to Islam around 18 and then went to visit a friend in Kuwait and a friend told her that she knew a guy wanting to get married... they met, she went back to England... he came to visit her, they talked a bit more and she married him and moved to Kuwait. Amazing story. We asked her TONS of questions and it was fascinating to hear her explain her religion and reasoning behind some thinking.

This is where the women can pick through and see the men praying below, or see what is going on below in the big prayer hall. We could not go in because it was being repaired. I love my teal bag adding to my wardrobe... :)

The main courtyard, which holds lots of people if there is a big event.

A view inside the main prayer hall

Our tour guide...

My beloved with me all decked out...

It was a fascinating experience and just wonderful to be able to ask her a million questions.