A walk through the fields…

One of the first nights the Chuggs were here we went for a walk through our fields and ended up at our park. 

Katie and Hanna…

Tiny frog Carter found along the way…

Matthew is not sure about the  frog…

 

I don’t know what these two are doing… singing maybe… but it just shows how quickly these two hit it off.  Megan just loves Cole.  We all do.  He’s adorable!  And by the way… Megan really likes dressing herself.

 

Matthew is so much fun at the park.  He loves the swings.  He loves the slide.  He loves the teeter totter.   He loves the sand.  And we love being at the park with him.  He makes it’s so fun!

   

 

Dad and Ryan stopped by after Tuesday night at the Church.  We just love how light it is here.  The sun finally goes down about 9:30 so we get to stay at the park forever. 

               

Megan pushing cutie Cole on the swings…

 

That is going around pretty fast.  Poor Megan looks like she’s sick.

The Chugg Family is here!

18 months ago, in December 2009, our friends Jared and Geneva texted us a quick message…  “hey, do you guys want to move to Germany together?”  or something like that.   They are AIR FORCE and we are ARMY and Germany has slots for both.   It was that text that got us thinking about moving overseas and landed us here in Heidelberg a year ago.    I think at the time they were in shock of how fast our decision was made and our orders secure.  We were in shock too.  They had intended the move to be this year (2011) but we jumped the gun a little.   Well, after a hard decision process for them and many little bumps in the road… they are here.  Stationed just an hour from us.  And we couldn’t be more thrilled!

Let me back up a little bit.  We met Jared and Geneva when they moved into our BYU married ward  but were together there just briefly before we both moved across the country to Maryland where Chris and Jared started medical school in the same class.  We both moved into the Montgomery Village ward and spent the next four years becoming best friends.  Jared and Chris carpooled to school, studied, and played basketball together.  Geneva and I met for lunches, play dates and weekly girls nights.   At the beginning, when we had baby Ryan and they didn’t have any yet, we could all fit into Chris’ little neon for our adventures.  Then they had Carter, we had Katie and they had Hanna.  We bawled when we said goodbye during our fourth year of Medical school… both off to different places for specialized rotations.   After graduation we moved to Washington.  They moved to California.  We moved to Georgia.  They moved to Vegas.  We had Emily.  They had Jake.  We had Megan.  They had Josh.  We had Luke.  They had Cole.  We had Matthew.    For the last 9 years we have visited each other’s houses, seen each other’s babies, met each other’s friends and met up for girls trips, couple trips, and guys golf retreats yearly or more.    And now we get to live by them again.  Not in the same ward, unfortunately, but in the same Stake… and only an hour and 15 minutes from door to door.   We’ll take it.

On Sunday they flew into Germany and on Monday, Chris and I drove over to  Schwedelbach to pick up Geneva and kids and bring them back to our place.   They spent the week with us while Jared was busy with in-processing.  Without cars to fit 3 adults and 11 kids, we enjoyed the first few days at home, relaxing, wandering around Sankt Leon and helping Geneva and the kids get adjusted to the new time zone.   It is SOOO great to have them here!!

Happy Father’s Day

We had our Father’s Day celebration in two parts this year.  We ate French toast, scrambled cheesy eggs and juice before Chris left for Bishopric at 10:00.  When he got home from church at 5:30 we ate dinner and then we sat him down on the couch, gave him a pile of candy bars and handed him “The Annual Father’s Day Questions”  …our very favorite part of Father’s Day.  We love to hear him read it out loud.  The kids answer the questions one at a time without hearing each other’s answers so that we can enjoy hearing them all together.  This year Chris and I were laughing so hard, tears were streaming down our faces.  It was soooo fun!  These answers probably won’t be that funny to you, but to us, they’re just priceless… and make Father’s Day absolutely memorable! 

   

Traditional Father’s Day Questions

What does Dad do at work?

• Luke says… He goes on the ‘puter’ at work and he jumps on the trampoline. At work? Oh, no. And Daddy writes letters on the ‘puter’. He has a desk and he left his work shirt at work.
• Megan says…  He checks people’s bones. And he maybe even tells people to eat more healthier stuff. And he tells people to be good.
• Emily says…  He’s a Radiologist and I forgot what he does. He looks in people’s bodies through a computer. I saw him doing that once.
• Katie says… He’s a Radiologist. He checks bones and stuff on the computer and types what they have and what they need and stuff. He goes most days.
• Ryan says… He looks at people’s x-rays and sees if he can find cancer and stuff. He looks for spots that don’t really look like anything at all but they really mean cancer. And ya, it looks very interesting.

What does Dad do at home?

• Luke says… He eats spaghetti and he jumps on the trampoline, mmmm, oh, Daddy does silly stuff at home, and he moves the trampoline.  And he hugs Ryan and hugs Lukey and Matthew, and Emily and Katie and Megan.
• Megan says…  He plays games with me, he works on the computer and he goes with Ryan to the temple, he takes naps and he helps us, and he goes on fun walks with us.
• Emily says…  He sometimes jumps on the trampoline with us. If he’s not on the trampoline, he’s either on his bed or at the computer.
• Katie says... He has dinner, plays games, eats, goes on Cougar Fan, plays with his iPad, watches stuff on slingbox, has Diet Mountain Dew and kisses Mom.
• Ryan says…  He spends time with his family, he watches movies and plays games a lot, and he eats dinner.

What are Dad’s favorite sports?

• Luke says… Um… he likes Jesus. No, sports. Oh, he likes soccer and golf. I told ya, play golf. And he watches a family movie and Dad watches baseball and soccer.
• Megan says… I think… he likes football and basketball and soccer and golf.
• Emily says… He likes playing soccer and golf, and he likes watching basketball and football.
• Katie says…  He’s our soccer coach and likes to play soccer. He likes golfing (with me). He likes watching football. He loves playing any backyard sport except our backyard is tiny now.
• Ryan says…  EVERY sport. Basketball, he loves to play. Soccer, he loves to coach. Golf, he loves to play. Baseball, he loves to watch. (The Cubs) And Football he loves to watch. Go BYU!!!!

What does Dad do after you go to bed?

• Luke says…  He eats donuts and spaghetti. He jumps on the trampoline a little bit and then he gets off. And he spells ‘JOHNSON’. And he writes numbers on paper.
• Megan says… He watches movies with Mom and eats popcorn. He’s so lucky. He spends time with Mom and he drinks soda.
• Emily says… He usually watches movies or sometimes does his work. His homework from work.
• Katie says… He watches movies and has desserts with Mom.
• Ryan says…  He watches movies and, well, he drinks soda, makes popcorn and spends lots of quality time with Mom. He loves her very much and he has to tell us to go to bed because he wants ‘mom time’.

What does Dad like to eat?

• Luke says… He likes to eat a banana. I want a banana. Mom, I want a banana. He can eat spaghetti again.
• Megan says… He likes spaghetti and lasagna and maybe pizza. He likes popcorn and brownies and cookies.
• Emily says…  Lasagna and whatever else Mom makes.
• Katie says… His favorite food is lasagna. His favorite vegetable is peas. I know him very well. He will eat anything. He likes everything but he has favorites. He loves anything German.
• Ryan says…  He likes to eat lots of things… pasta, anything that mom makes. Ya, it’s true. He eats lots of food.

What does Dad do at church?

• Luke says… Dad be’s still and quiet at church.
• Megan says… He sits in his seat and he watches us. He gives speeches. He does tithing.
• Emily says…  He sits up at the front and he sometimes conducts and sometimes gives talks. He goes to the man’s meeting.
• Katie says… He’s in the bishopric again so he sits up at the front and sings and conducts and stuff.
• Ryan says… He’s the 2^nd counselor and he takes care of all the church business. He sits up in the front. Mom has to take care of all the kids with me and Katie. He has to stay to have meetings and work in that one room on that one computer.

Does Dad like cleaning?

• Luke says… Ya. Ok, we’re done.
• Megan says… No. Well, maybe a little bit. Well, he likes to keep our house clean.
• Emily says… Um, No, but he likes our house being clean.
• Katie says… He likes coming home to a clean house. He does clean.
• Ryan says… No, but he will do it anyway, because he loves mom so much.

Who does Dad love?

• Luke says… Lukey and Ryan and Emily and Katie and Megan and Matthew and his Daddy self.
• Megan says… He loves Mom the most, because she’s his wife. And he loves all of his kids because they play fun games with them and he’s so fun to be around. And I love him so much too!
• Emily says… The whole family… but mostly Mom.
• Katie says… Mom, Ryan, Katie, Emily, Megan, Luke, Matthew, his parents and parents-in-law, his sisters, his brother in laws and sister in laws, his great grandparents, his grandparents, his nieces and nephews, the Chuggs, the Christoffersons, the Crawfords, the Whites, the Brienholts, the Starbucks and all of his other friends and the ward and stuff.
• Ryan says… Dad loves everybody, especially me and he loves his children. But the person he loves out of everyone in the whole world is his wife and the Savior.

What does Dad like about living in Germany?

• Luke says… He likes seeing Dan. He sees Elisha and Mike.
• Megan says… He likes jumping on the trampoline with us. And he likes being in Germany because he has his kids with him. And he likes going on fun trips with us like Paris and Rome. He likes going camping. He likes the summer because he gets to spend time with his wife and his kids. I think that’s all.
• Emily says…  He likes EVERYTHING cause I can’t think of anything he doesn’t like.
• Katie says… He LOVES going on trips and reading Rick Steves books. He likes living in a pretty area and learning German. He likes the German food and chocolate. He WILL love living close to the Chuggs.
• Ryan says… He loves everything about Germany… plus he loves my positive attitude about living in Germany. He loves the food and our house. He loves everything… he especially loves how close all the awesome places are to us. The only thing he doesn’t like about living in Germany is that he has to stay up super late so he can watch all the BYU games and stuff… but he will do it willingly.

I sure love you,  Chris.  Happy Father’s Day to you and to both of our father’s for being such great examples and great men.  We love you!

Last Week of School Schedule…

Monday

• I went with Ryan to his last ballroom class of the year.  (Ryan was happily peer pressured into taking a ballroom class this semester from some of the kids in the ward.  The Ballroom teacher is fantastic and he had a great time.  He’s pretty darn good and I’d say he’s the cutest in his class.)  He thought it was great fun teaching me how to dance.  We took homemade chips and salsa.
• For FHE we watched LEGACY – we haven’t seen it for years!  Chris and I got choked up even before anything happened because we KNEW it was going to happen.  I sobbed so hard I had puffy eyes.   Ryan loves that I cry so much.

Tuesday

• I went visiting teaching.
• Megan had an ‘end of year pizza party’ at school.
• Katie had her cute twin friends, Emily and Rebecca, over to play after school.
• Emily went to Activity Days and walked into the German town for gelato.
• Ryan went to the pool to pass off some swimming requirements and then on to Scouts.

Wednesday

• Katie’s had her ‘end of year awards ceremony’ and was awarded the Presidential Award for 5th graders.  YEAH!!!
• Katie stayed after school to go bowling with Ally.
• Ryan and Emily went to the Astons to play.
• Soccer BBQ, parents/kids soccer game, trophies and party!

Thursday

• Last day of school – 10:30 pick up and pictures outside the school!
• Katie off to Kai’s house for end of year party!
• Makenzie home with us to hang out with Emily for the day.
• Ran a couple of errands.
• Went home for lunch.
• Picked up Katie and met the Jones, Astons and Petersons at JUMP INN… a fun trampoline and indoor German playplace.
• Chris and I ran over to Ben and Emma Patterson's house for Ben’s promotion open house.

Friday

• Worked on my blog all day!
• Chris, Ryan, Katie (and Ryan’s buddy, Mark Aston) went to Europa Park, a big German amusement park with great roller coasters… to celebrate Ryan’s 13th birthday!
• Emily and Megan played playdoh and sold pretend cookies from door to door in our house, water colored, played dress up and preformed skits in each outfit, had a picnic on my balcony, helped make macaroni, and jumped on the trampoline all day long.

Saturday

• I went on a youth temple trip with Ryan to the Frankfurt Temple.  So great to be there together!
• Dad took the rest of the kids on a bike ride through the fields and town.
• I worked on Visiting Teaching slips to be handed out on Sunday.  --New calling: Visiting Teaching Supervisor
• Went shopping to Globus and did Grocery Shopping just Chris and I for our ‘date night.’

Last day of school

Thursday, June 16th was the last day of school… but the kids were only in school for two hours… just enough time to say goodbye to their teachers, clean off their empty desks and and get so excited for summer!   At 10:30 I picked the girls up from school.    I grabbed Megan from Kindergarten and met the other girls with their friends at the flagpole. 

This is Emily’s best friend, Makenzie, with Emily and Megan.  We took Makenzie home with us and they played all day long!   Emily had a great year.   She and Makenzie LOVED their teacher, Ms. Brown and left the school grounds pretending to cry because they already missed her.  Emily’s report card was filled with CD’s.  No, not C’s and D’s…  CD means that 2nd grade academic levels were “Consistently Displayed”.  Sounds kind of crazy to me… but she and I are both pretending it means all A’s.    Megan – all CD’s as well.  So proud of you, Em and Megan!  What a great year!

Katie was headed over to Kai’s house for an all day ‘school’s out’ party but I told her to grab her friends and have them wait at the flag pole so I could take a picture first.  These girls were all in Katie’s class and they’re such good friends.   They are all really good girls and smart too. 

Top: Rebecca, Lala, Mercedes, Emily, Madison  Bottom: Katie, Kai, Alexis.    (Her best buddies: Rebecca & Emily (twins) Mercedes and Kai)

** At the final award’s ceremony, Katie was given the ‘Gold’ Presidential Award – presented in recognition of Outstanding Academic Excellence.  To receive this award she had to be on the Principal’s Honor List every quarter (straight A’s), nominated by her teacher AND another staff member at the school.   You should have heard all of her friends screaming for her when her name was called.  She had a really wonderful 5th grade year.  We’re so proud of you, Katie!

After the group shot Katie and her her friends left screaming “We’re 6th graders!" and giggling.   No more elementary school now.  Katie’s off to middle school.

Ryan came home on the bus.  Too big to be picked up, I suppose. 

Ryan had a fabulous year as well.  Really impressed with his team of teachers.  He got the Principals Honor Roll for the last quarter as well.  And he was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society at the end of the year.    So proud of you, Ryan!

Spring Soccer Season

{OK, I’m taking a break from ‘vacation posting’ and am going to blog about a few things a little more current.  Yes, out of order… gasp.  I will for sure blog the rest of our vacationing adventures… I just needed a little change in scenery.}

 

We had a fabulous soccer season this spring.  Actually, beyond fabulous.     Chris coached for his second season here in Heidelberg.  He made a good impression last season and all of his last year’s players wanted him as a coach again plus a whole slew of new soccer parents who had heard all about him.    The way they pick teams is like a draft.  All the players are put through certain drills while the coaches watch and take notes.  Then back in a conference room they go around the room picking their players.  Chris pretty much ran the meeting making sure that everyone got their top picks, equal number of girls etc.   And he came home with all the soccer kids in the ward on our team.  Ryan, Katie, Zac, Tate and Mark.

 

Chris makes the practices really fun.  He easily thinks up fun and interesting new drills, runs with his players to encourage them to go faster, never yells and brings candy which he hands out to the two players who have worked the hardest and played the best.  The kids LOVE him… and the parents do too… especially me.

 

Monday and Wednesday nights for three months were all about soccer.  Practice was from 5:30 – 6:30 but Chris told the team he’d always be there at 5:00 and so the team was too.    This was the last season that Ryan and Katie could play on the same team since next season Ryan will move on to the 13-15 year old league. 

 

As much as Chris, Ryan and Katie all wanted their team to be called ‘the COUGARS’… they were outvoted and ended up being called the SMURFS.   Our group of parents were really amazing… always going above and beyond making it a great season for the kids.  One of the parents brought blue hair spray so the kids could have blue hair for every game.  They loved it!

They ended the season undefeated.  Ryan played really well all season and was one of the best ones on the team.  He played mostly CENTER MIDFIELD this season and really liked it.   He scored quite a few times, and of course loved it.  Katie was a DEFENDER.  She played hard, and aside from screaming (or squeaking) every time the ball came close to her, she was completely determined and would never give up… the perfect kind of annoying defender. 
         

Matthew liked to think he was assistant coach… just hanging out near Dad.

 

Team fans and extra orange slice eaters…

 

Chris being hugged by Andres… the team’s best player who was begging not to be put in goal…. which often happened when he scored too much.

 

The 4 day conference tournament started on Thursday and went to Sunday.  We knew from the beginning that we were going to have a problem when it came down to the Sunday final.  We were undefeated in season and it was likely that we’d get to the final.  We won our Thursday game, our Friday game and our Saturday game.  The whole team knew that Chris wouldn’t be there to coach and that five of the players wouldn’t be there as well.  We tried to have the game changed to Monday night but knew that if the other team didn’t want to change it… we would forfeit or play with only 9 players and no subs.   Chris’ assistant coach, Mike,  and the other players parents were anxious to make calls and try and get it changed so it wouldn’t have to be on a Sunday.    Most even agreed that we really shouldn’t be playing on Sundays and definitely supported our reasons for not playing.  

 

As it turned out… the coaches, whose team we would have been playing in the finals, (clearly the second best team in the league) approached Chris and Mike upon hearing about the ‘Smurfs Sunday predicament’.  Since we’d already beaten that team once in the season and once in the tournament already (double elimination tournament) and since we hadn’t lost in the tournament yet and would have to have lost to them twice… he said, “We don’t have to play on Sunday, you got First place.  It wouldn’t be right to take it from you over a forfeit – what would that be teaching our players.”   Chris and Mike stayed to watch them win their final game on Saturday afternoon securing their 2nd place.   

 

We would have loved to play that final game but we were thankful for their understanding and support and for the ‘FIRST PLACE TITLE’.     Ryan was actually excited for the opportunity to make a stand on ‘no Sunday play’.     He’s a good kid…. it worked out this time but he was prepared to take the second place to do what he knew was right.

Ryan and Mark… one of his best friends.

The team party at the end of the season was a little over the top.  All the parents put on a great party.  A ‘parents against players’ soccer game, full Barbecue, mini golf for the kids, an awards ceremony, fabulous cake and soccer ball piñata.   It was a great time.

Before the game, Chris told Ryan that he had one last thing to teach the team… humility.    I guess he never really learned that himself.

Seriously… the players have the right color eyes.  Susanne was a fabulous team mom.

Another one of the team mom’s awarded the coaches with ‘soscars’… yes, ken dolls spray painted gold.  It was funny.

Receiving team trophies and first place medals…
 

Megan, Luke and Luke’s best buddy Sam playing a little mini golf.
  Piñata fun…

The fields in June

I just can’t get enough of these fields.  I was amazed at how much had grown in just a couple of weeks – while we were on vacation.  Since we drive through the fields daily we really feel like they’re ours and take pride in their growth.  I just love the wild flowers on the edges of all the fields.  It seems like each week brings a new flower and color.  The boys and I were anxious to enjoy our perfect June weather and walk through the fields to the park for a swing.  What 2 and 3 year old would ever tire of swinging?

Walking back home… flowers in our front yard…