School...again

I registered today to take a placement test at the University. It's tomorrow and as usual I'm nervous...I hate tests. I also am worried because I had to sit out a semester, giving birth to Micah. I have no idea how rusty my reading & writing is...I know my speaking is a little. However, it's getting better since I'm back in a bit of a routine with Bible study groups and visiting friends. I am excited about meeting new people & going back to school with my other friends from the last semester I attended.

Sooooo, this will be a tough semester. Most likely I will be going to class everyday with travel by bus & tram adding to the length of day then home to be wife & mommy, then somewhere in there do homework for the next day and keep house. Ok... maybe I'll rethink this-haha! I'm writing all this so you know how to pray for us. Danny will be watching the boys, but as soon as I get home he will need to get to work... he needs MINIMUM of 20-25 hrs in prep for studying for sermons then translating them on top of normal office work he does. It'll be busy & stressful at times, but with prayer & God leading our steps all things are possible. Now I just need to say that everyday to myself & I just might keep my sanity ;)

-Krista-

Training

For the last couple of weeks Nathan has been working on potty training. It is WAY past due in my opinion, but the advice I've received from experienced moms is 'do not rush it'. So here we are 3 months away from his 3rd Birthday and the interest is still not completely there. Although today he's gone twice in the toilet!! That's an all time high! Woo-hoo! It took quite a bit of time and waiting around in the bathroom till he went...he just doesn't know yet when he needs to until it's already done. So we waited and waited and waited...then viola he went potty!! When he went we made a BIG deal... lots of hugs, praise, and 'high fives'. If any one has advice please coomment...we can use all the help we can get!

Micah is working on getting new teeth. He's turned into the drool King! He gnaws on his hands all day or a teething ring. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be making him to miserable yet.

Last weekend we invited a couple over and had a great time with our kids & theirs playing together. Danny is working on an outreach program with the husband and I go to a Mother/Child Bible study bi-weekly with the wife. Then this week we invited a newlywed couple over for dinner, she is from my Deutsch class. I gave her a Bible last year and she seems interested in studying together. This weekend another family is coming over to visit...busy, busy.... the good kind!

Thank you to all of you who wrote & told me you were praying for our family during this time of loss. We really appreciate it. It's hard being away from family, but every phone call, email, prayer is very special to us and reminds us of who is really keeping up with us.

-Krista-

Grandparents

Few can bring the warmth
We can find in their embrace,
And little more is needed to bring love
Than the smile on their face.

They've a supply of precious stories,
Yet they've time to wipe a tear,
Or give us reasons to make us laugh,
They grow more precious through the years.

I believe that God sent us Grandparents
As our legacy from above
To share the moments of our life
As extra measures of His love.

~~ Author Unknown ~~

My Grampa

After a couple of years of battling cancer and dimensia, my Grampa-Charles B. Stratton passed away this morning. We are so thankful to know that he is pain-free now and in Heaven. He has had such a roller coaster in the last 2 years with his health and memory. I'm glad that he's no longer in pain. This is a new phase of life for my family. As Danny said the other day, it's rare for someone like me to be almost 30 yrs. old and until today have all 4 grandparents. My parents are experiencing for the first time the loss of a parent. Please be in prayer for my Mom, Aunts, & Uncles-Robin & John, Cindy, and Dan, and the rest of our family. Here are some pictures from my visit at Christmas '05. I'm so thankful that Grampa was able to see Nathan....those are some precious memories for me.

Krista

Danny's 29th

Today we celebrated Danny's birthday. I went to my Mother/Child group early this morning and left him a quiet house (with 2 kids that's a great gift now-a-days!) to sleep in a little bit then go to work in his office without interuption (also a great gift). I then arranged for a baby-sitter and we went out to the 'old city' as I like to call it and walked around down town Graz...we both really enjoying being down there and the street cars, etc. Then for dinner he chose a Kebap shop (Turkish sandwich). He likes them a lot.

I made him a birthday cake and got very creative with the flavor of the home-made frosting. I added coffee!!! Mmmmm GOOD! We were both impressed and surprisingly not bouncing off the walls today :) Nathan helped sing "Happy Birthday" and was very much ready for the cake. I actually made it yesterday and so you can imagine how impatient Nathan has been waiting for the moment we could dig in. haha!

Danny is a wonderful Daddy! Nathan craves his attention....even while receiving the attention. haha! They both wrestle around on the living room floor and Micah watches from the safe view on my lap. One day they'll both be taking on their Daddy and I do think the boys will win ;) Nathan is pretty tough. I was talking to him the other day while putting my make-up on and he was asking questions about what I was doing. "Mommy is a girl. Girls wear make-up sometimes. Nathan is a boy. Boys don't wear make-up." I said to him. "Daddy is a man, he doesn't wear make-up either." I continued to tell him. Then Nathan says loudly and with his fist to his chest, "I A MAAANNN!" Oh how fast they grow up.

Happy Birthday, Danny!

Krista

Tony Dungy :: Beyond the Ultimate

Friday!!

Is it really February already?!?! I guess Micah's hospital stay took up most of January and my Mom's visit made it fly by quickly. This month will be full of activity as well. Danny will celebrate his last 20-something birthday next Wednesday, 3 members of the Ateam will also have birthdays, Danny will be teaching in a Sunday Bible study in German (he is usually the translator), he is also helping the Baptist church in Graz with an outreach program that will take place in April but preparations are well under way now.

We read in the newspaper last week that for the month of January there were more sick babies in the children's hospital than the ENTIRE last year in Graz. I remember commenting to Danny that they seemed to be really busy with sick kiddos, but the week we left things had started to slow down and babies were being released. We still haven't had much of a winter. We really need a good, long freeze to kill off viruses & bacteria. That's my take on the weather & illnesses :)

Please keep our home church in prayer. This weekend they will be saying good-bye to our Associate Pastor (was the Youth Pastor till they hired a new couple). He & his family have taken the Pastorate at his home church in Colorado. Derald, Penny, Ty, & Kimberly will be missed so very much!!!! God is going to do great things with them. There are also great things for Central up ahead, I just know it!! It's always sad to see good friends move on, but wouldn't want anything but God's will for them or Central.

Well, it's bath & bedtime for the boys...have a great weekend!!

Krista