New School Pictures

It is challenging to type a paragraph in Word when you haven't yet learned to type...  Here we go.

Eva's enjoying time with new friends at her new school.

Sometimes (really just sometimes) it can be helpful to have a big brother who is at the same school.  Working on homework...

 

Making new friends

It is difficult starting at a new school and knowing almost no one, but Eva is managing it really well.  She misses her grade school friends, and we will definitely be seeing them from time to time, but it sure made this mom's heart happy when she had a friend over to visit on the first weekend after school started. So many prayers are being answered for relationships with friends and teachers.  Thank you, God.

 

Back to School again

I didn't remember to take any back-to-school pictures last week. Haha!  This was from a few weeks earlier when we bought Eva new shoes.  We have an 8th grader and 5th grader this year.  Here in Austria, that means that Eva just started at high school (which is high school and middle school all together in one building).  She is in the dual language program, similar to Nathanael's bilingual program, so she has a lot of English education mixed in with the German schooling.  Both kids seem to have adjusted well, and we are thrilled with the school, their teachers, and friends.

Farewell Grade School

June was an emotional month full of goodbyes for our dear Eva.

Her ballet teacher is retiring, and with our move, it does not make sense for Eva to travel a long distance for a different teacher. We will miss Eva's ballet teacher and incredible lessons.

In Austria, kids stay with the same teacher and classmates for the entire four years of grade school.  It has it's advantages and disadvantages.  Saying goodbye is definitely a big deal. The kids performed some dances and songs and skits for the parents. They did a wonderful job, even though it was soooo hot in the performance room!

I must admit that I had tears in my eyes as Eva walked out of the school on the last morning. This school was such an amazing place for both of our kids to learn and grow. We are grateful.

On to Gymnasium! (high school)
 

Oh my goodness, how exciting?!

 A lot is happening in a few days!

Nath played in his first SC Brunn game!

Eva performed with our class for a Dance in Schools party and then in the massive Vienna concert venue in an incredible Monsterfreunde concert!

Oh, and we got the keys to our home!!!  Much to do...

Yea for Lower Austria travel cards!

December 2022

First violin rental!

Advent caroling at school

World Cup Finale!

Walking the Mödling / Maria Enzersdorf neighborhood to potentially live there...

Back in Austria and Back to School

What fun to overlap with Krishana for a day after we returned home!

Eva enjoyed reconnecting with some friends before school.

To celebrate or mourn the end of summer and beginning of school, we had an ice cream date!

May excitement

A random collection of pictures from April and May...

One of our favorite family evening activities is seeing how high Dad can bounce the kids at this park.

Nathanael's class FINALLY got to go back to school all together and for five days a week starting May 17th!  To celebrate, they had an outing hike one day, and since they were walking right past our house, we used it as a belated birthday celebration for his class.

Ice cream and watermelon break!  (And hand sanitizer of course)

THE RESTAURANTS REOPENED ON MAY 19th!!!!!

The kids and I tested and went on the first day during a break between school activities.  It was so wonderful to eat fresh schnitzel and fries at a restaurant!  We really missed that.  I think they were last open in October, but I have lost track...

And this is also crazy exciting:  Eva got her ears pierced!!!  An early birthday gift for this beautiful girl.  So proud of her!

She was not so sure she was ready, but still excited.

Tiger Lily has enjoyed the nicer weather, and she regularly deposits small creatures at our doors.

Eva is starting to learn typing at home.  (They don't learn it in school here!)

One of my new songs was chosen to be reviewed by Keith Getty and Matt Merker during a live webinar.  So cool!