Grandkids Weekend

Our annual grandkids weekend was cut short due to a stomach bug that hit both Andrew and Kylie.  We had one long night of misery for both of them.  We missed out on our last day of fun that was planned but we had a great two days together!  We played lots of games, saw the movie “Cars 2”, swam in the neighbors pool and ate lots of food.  I even persuaded the kids to indulge me with a quick photo shoot.

Austin–14, James-9 months, Kylie –11, Ty-8, Andrew-7, Nathan-5

I had recent individuals of the Hodge boys and James so I just needed updated individual pics of Andrew and Kylie.

Andrew – Age 7

Kylie – Age 11

Then it was off to the pool for an evening swim.

Andrew

Nathan

Papa and Nathan

Austin

Ty

Kylie

And a few photos of James

In spite of the illness we had a great time.

Crouse Family Picnic

Steve’s brother, Bart, is always so thoughtful to plan a get-together with family when we are back in Iowa.  This year many family joined us at Jester Park for a potluck picnic.  We enjoyed seeing so many family members from both the Crouse side of the family and also the Ingalls side.

Everyone was so busy visiting and eating that we didn’t stop to get any group pictures this time but I love the candid photos just as well.  We are so thankful for our many relatives and the chance to fellowship with them.

Honoring Mom

Mom’s memorial service was everything that we had prayed for.  It honored my mother, honored God and provided an opportunity for family and friends to reconnect and remember the special things about my Mother.

Daisies were my Mom’s favorite flower.

In the evening following the service family gathered at a restaurant in West Des Moines to spend time together and have a good time.  Just what my Mom and Dad would have enjoyed.

We enjoyed an excellent meal and fellowship in our own private room.

Left: Nick (nephew) and Zinka           Right: Kay (sister) and Dennis

Left: Lizz (niece) and Craig               Right: Scott (brother) and Jan

Left:  Katie (niece), Hudson and Chris            Right: Shauna, Kylie, Heather

Left:  Steve and I                         Right: Kay, Scott and I

Kylie, Shauna, Me, Steve and Heather

The weather was beautiful…..around 80 degrees everyday.  It felt great!

Second Visit to Konigsee

On our way to Salzburg we decided to stop and spend a night in Berchtesgaden and go on the electric boat ride on Konigsee Lake.  We did this boat ride in 2006 and it was worth repeating.  It is a gorgeous lake similar to a fjord and they take you to St. Bartholomew church and on to the trail to Obersee lake.  St. Bartholomew and the southern edge of the lake can only be reach by boat or via hiking trails in the mountains.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.


If you look closely you will see a waterfall in the distance in the photo above.

We had a fun day on the lake and hiking.  It was well-worth the second visit.

Gmunden-Traunsee

We took a side-trip on one of the last days we were in Upper Austria before going back to Germany to fly out of Munich.  Steve had been to Gmunden when he was in Austria for a church mission trip.

Gmunden is known for the ceramic factory and store.  They had several “factory outlet” stores in the complex and the hand painted pottery was beautiful.

The flowers flourish in Austria.

Gmunden is situated along picturesque Traunsee Lake.

Yet another medieval castle, Schloss Orth.

We ate dinner right on the lake on the castle island.  We were sad to see the trip and the 75 degree weather coming to an end but were thankful for a safe and wonderful trip.