BUSTER!

We finally broke down and got a puppy. Danny & I both grew up with dogs and so we knew one day we'd want one for our family. But we wanted to hold off till our kids could help care for the dog or hold off till we didn't have small kids! Yes... I realize our kids are not exactly old enough to care for a dog and that we DO have small kids!! I lost track where we went wrong with our timeline and plans.... but what's done is done ;)

Well, after our trip to the States this summer, the boys were really talking about having a puppy. So Danny started researching online what dogs are best for our area, our family type, dog breeds and the different health issues that come with the breed, etc. I grew up with German Shepherds and loved them. My grandparents had a cute dauschund while I was in college (and another one years ago). Danny had different ones through out his childhood, but his favorite was a Blue Heeler that was sadly stolen. So since we couldn't agree (obviously we wanted our childhood memories) we asked the boys. Nathan wanted a Beagle and Micah wanted "that" dog (whichever one was on the computer screen at the time... btw, "that" changed daily).

We had finally decided on getting 2 outsides dogs. But the more we started thinking about it... this was going to cost us more than we really wanted to spend. The money to actually BUY the dogs, then shots, food, yard maintenance to get ready for dogs, dog houses, etc. So that got Danny searching even more and he found a lady giving away dauschund puppies (a dauschund was one of our choices if we got an inside dog)! He emailed her and she had 2 left. The momma dog had 5 puppies and the lady didn't have room for them. In fact, when she bought her dog from a breeder, neither knew the dog was pregnant! So she really wasn't ready to have puppies and it was more important to her that the dog go to a good family than trying to make money on selling the puppies. She was a nice lady--cried as we drove away.

So yes... we have a puppy. We got him in September (a lot happened that month- getting settled back into the house after being gone for 2 months, school started, fall activities, and a dog--that's why I didn't blog much!!). He is a dauschund (possibly a miniature one). He's an inside dog and really cute! We named him Buster (wasn't the dauschund in Toy Story named Buster?!?) Danny & I are very particular about the cleanliness of a household with pets. We do NOT want people to walk into our house and know we have a dog before they ever see him. Just a pet peeve :) We do have a small cage/house for Buster that will protect HIM from some of our smaller guests who are overly excited to be around him ;) He's done extremely well with house training. There have been "accidents" of course, but he's a fast learner!

Meet the newest member of our household: Buster.

**photos are from his first couple of weeks with us... he's grown a lot since these were taken. I'll get some more soon.

Catching up on...

School Year 2010

(began September 13th):

Nate

Began 1st grade.

Out of 11 kids that moved up from his Kindergarten class, 9 are in his 1st grade class. He was happy to have friends with him.

Frau Pozar is his teacher. She has 22 yrs. of experience.

School begins at 7:45am till 11:35am. He goes 30 minutes early on Thursday & Friday (it was offered for the whole class and we felt it best for him to go for some help with German).

He has homework every day.

Learning to read and write.

Concentrating and making good use of time is a struggle for him (sadly, got that from me).

He is very good at Math.

His German is coming along very well.

Micah

Pre-school/Kindergarten.

Missed his brother at first....

Enjoying being Micah instead of "Nate's little brother".

Is like his brother in the fact that he has a lot of friends.

Speaks German.

Can be really defiant when being disciplined (aren't we all works in progress?!?).

Really likes his teacher and will miss her when she leaves to have her baby in the Spring.

Gets into trouble with another little boy who is actually really sweet, but my goodness he's mischievous!

Is picky about what he wears to Kindergarten.

Is good at drawing and puzzles.

Knows his numbers, but would rather put them in his own "order".

Lessons

So at the age of 31 I've decided to learn to play an instrument. I tried about 3 times through-out my childhood to play the piano. Needless to say I can barely play chopsticks ;) It was my fault. I am not an overly disciplined person and so I didn't take the time to practice. My idea of playing the piano was getting all the learning during my lesson time and somehow it would stick (as well as improve) till the next lesson. I was much too social to remove myself from friends to sit alone at a piano!

Soooo (drum roll please) the instrument I've decided to learn is...

Yes, a guitar. It's been a challenge. I'm still not overly disciplined and throw in everyday life, kids, ministry, teaching English.... well, I don't practice as often as I should, but I do see improvement every week. I am enjoying it!

This is the view from the part of town I go to for my lessons (I love the city). I have a wonderful teacher. She is Hungarian and doesn't speak one word of English. It's hard enough learning to play the guitar, now throw in German as our only means of communication. But it's coming along quite well. I do find it hard to sing and play at the same time. My teacher keeps telling me (because I get so frustrated with myself) not to worry too much. It'll come in time.

I just hope the boys see Danny & I always trying things, learning things, and challenging ourselves. Most importantly learning and seeking after God.

-krista-

Homesick

Bryan

We BELIEVE God wants only what is good for us... and at this time what HE deems as good for us is to have you, dear Bryan, in Heaven. But oh how our hearts ache... and yet rejoice that you are no longer in pain... and that is comforting to us.

You were an excellent husband to my dearest friend, Melanie. You were a fantastic father to Abbi & Ella. Oh how I struggle to wrap my thoughts around the timing of this precious, yet to be born SON of yours.

You are so special to Danny & I.... the memories that have flooded our minds in the last 24 hrs. are so innumerable and we are soooo grateful for them. Being in Austria right now feels like the worst thing.... but HE knew. HE does know. Oh how we want to be there to honor your memory and to show your family how much we love and miss you. Oh how this hurts.

The friendship, the support we've given each other, the laughs, prayers for each other, tears, jokes, singing, road trips, sarcasm (yeah... we both know we dished it out), the weekend long hangouts as couples (sweet Abbi in her toddler innocence laughing at us all), game nights, the holidays, the traditions, our children's births and the babies gone before us....

You & Melanie are the definition of the old saying "A good friend knows all about you and likes you anyway." We promise to pray, love, and care for your family as we would our own.

"God is too wise to be mistaken. God is to good to be unkind. So when we don't understand. When we can't trace His hand. Trust His heart."

-krista-

My Kids

The Sweetie Pie

My handsome, energetic, loving SONS!

Chicken Stew

September always reminds me of the Fall Festival in our home town

So I made Chicken Stew. Yummy!

Gracie & Molly

I completely forgot to put Gracie's monthly growing photos on here! You'll find her 1st-3rd months in May 2010 and her 4th month in June. So now here she is with 'Molly' for her 5th-7th months.

Gracie's 6th month dress is special because it was borrowed from a dear friend, Jessi. Her little girl, Austin wore it and it was a gift by another dear friend, Melanie. I miss those beautiful ladies. I thank God for their friendship.

In my prayers for my kids and their future spouses.... I also pray for the friends in their lives. The friends that they play with now and the friends they've not even met yet.

"Iron sharpens iron,and one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

Oatmeal on Sundays

I can't believe that I just made oatmeal on a Sunday for my kids!

Ok, allow me to explain the irony... just plain hilariousness of it all (well to me... and probably my brothers). My mom, 99% of the time made oatmeal for breakfast on Sundays because it was filling and an easy meal to make on a morning that was usually quite busy and rushed (which I now understand since I'm a mom). As kids we hated it. My goodness we would complain! Then when we were told it was oatmeal or nothing till lunch (and when your Dad is the pastor, lunch isn't always at the "normal" lunch hour and it may be awhile) well, you find a way to choke it down or starve ;)

I'm not real sure why we disliked it so much because honestly, my mom was IS a great cook. Thankfully, she would allow us to "doctor-it-up". The amount of milk and sugar that was added was pitiful on our part. I was never a fan of oatmeal.

After Danny & I were married a few years I bought some flavored oatmeal (the packet kind) for Danny and discovered that I actually liked flavored oatmeal. I was flabbergasted! Yes, of course! Add cinnamon or brown sugar! That's brilliant!

Which brings me to today.... it's a cool morning and the cereal box is low, so I thought a nice warm bowl of homemade oatmeal would be yummy. I had a nice laugh to myself when I realized I was making oatmeal on a Sunday! My kids have learned to like oatmeal because of the flavor element. Sorry, Mom... if only the oatmeal had been flavored..... oh the possibilities :) hee hee! So maybe this post is pointless to many of you, but I wanted to write it for memory sake and let my family have a little chuckle.

-krista-

Reconnecting

A highlight of any trip back to the States is spending time with dear friends.... whether it be for a lunch/dinner or a quick cup of coffee. Any way we can reconnect even if for a short time makes it that much sweeter.

Caldwell Time

This past summer with all the traveling we had to do for our ministry, we also made sure to have time with each of our families. Oh what fun we had with all of them! We are truly blessed to have parents and siblings that love us, pray for us and support our ministry in Austria. It makes it easier living here knowing they are not resentful that we are so far away and yet it also makes it harder because we'd love to live life right along side each other and watch our kids grow up with their cousins. But as my Grama told me a long time ago when I asked her how she & my Papa could deal with their only son and family moving to the other side of the world, "I'd rather have you all living on the other side of the world and in God's will then across the street and out of it."

A few of the Caldwell clan spent

a week in San Antonio, Tx.

Micah, Zaylee, Nate

Cousins-- born 4 days apart on different continents

Aunts and Cousins

Danny's sis & her hubby

Sweet or Mischievous?

No Matter What

Just heard this song via a few friends and has come at a very good time. We have some very close friends (here and there) and even family going thru different struggles and heartache. The lyrics are so well put. No matter what, I pray that I don't ever stop realizing my need for Christ.

Lately I've been thinking and analyzing a few things and I'm not quite sure how to put this into words, but I'll give it a try. I do not want to make it sound like "I've made it" or that I don't struggle with worry any more... it's just that I can see God working on me and He's not finished yet :-)

There was a time when I took a problem (be it mine, a family members, or a close friends) and just let it consume me. Oh how I would worry about the person, the illness, or the situation, how it was being dealt with, what people thought of this or that, or even thought of me. I'd make myself sick with worry and even lose sleep some nights. All the while knowing I was sinning with my worry and trying to "fix" things myself. My worrying was not getting me anywhere and it was not giving God any glory... my actions were telling anyone watching me that I didn't really trust God and His ways. I cringe at some of the memories of how poorly I've reacted to some of the refining God has put us thru.

I'm not overly sure when it happened. But I started noticing around the time of our last miscarriage that God is really all I need. Maybe it became more obvious to me that people were watching how Danny & I dealt with that heartache... and I really wanted them to see why we were making it thru this struggle. Maybe I was tired of using my own strength to "fix" things. Maybe I was seeing how much I mess things up when I take control over a situation. Maybe it was realizing that Danny & I had gone thru so many changes, adventures, struggles, joys, heartache, stresses and all we had was God. We didn't have our families here in Austria with us when things went wrong. We didn't have a church family to worship with on those hard days. So many maybe's and what if's.... I don't know how or when it happened, but I'm grateful to a God who gives me chance after chance and still loves me, shows me mercy, and gives grace on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. He really has been all we need. Sadly, it took some time to really, truly put all we have in His hands and let it stay there. I'm not saying I never have or never will have a lapse in trust, but let's just say that I've seen enough of God's handiwork that I know He's waaaay better at His job than I am :)

When we were wondering how the money for our visas was going to work out I really had no issues with worry (it was a shocking realization for me) because there was no way I had that amount sitting in a bank account :) If God wanted us here, I knew He would have a plan to keep us here.

When my kids have been sick and have had hospital stays... I certainly couldn't just snap my fingers and make them well again. So as stressful as it was and my tears of exhaustion and some temper tantrums to God... I had to take my grip off my kids and leave them in the only Hands that could heal them.

I could go on and on about how God has sustained us, but I think you get the idea. Danny has a plaque and I love what it says (not sure of author):

O God, I'm not where I want to be; I'm not even where I think I should be. But thank you Lord, I'm not where I used to be.

-krista-