Kids Say the Funniest Things

Me:  "I am lovin' me some Beckers" (Beckers is Rebekah's affectionate and preferred nickname)

Rebekah:  "I am lovin' me some Nana"

Me:  "Do you love mommy?'

Rebekah:  "I love me some mommy too"

Sweet girl.  I love the innocence and complete honesty of kids!

An Apple A Day...

Saturday was the much anticipated pick-your-own Honey Crisp Apple Weekend at Eckert's.  This is my favorite time every year.  We take the girls to Eckert's and take a wagon ride out to the apple trees. We walk up and down aisles of apple trees, pick Honey Crisp Apples, and eat almost as many apples as we pick.  We were a little disappointed this year because the apples weren't as good as last year.  Despite the disappointment, we managed to find 20lbs of acceptable apples! 

We are having WHAT for dinner?

I decided to go all "culinary" on my family and fix Mexican Chicken with Black Beans.  I got the recipe from Relish (www.relishrelish.com).  It is a meal planning website.  LOVE IT.  Well, here is what turned out.

I thought it tasted great.

John cleaned his plate.

Rebekah ate all her chicken.

Abigail ate everything!

Hannah suffered through it.

(I guess 4 out of 5 ain't bad)

Rebekah's First Day of School

My sweet Rebekah started back to Preschool today.  She was SOOOO excited to start school.  When big sisters started school and she didn't, she was not happy.  She has Ms. Lisa and Ms. Laura this year.  She had a great day at school and personally I thought she was the prettiest one there!!  Love you Beck Beck!!

Remembering...

Today is the 4th anniversary of my dad's Heavenly homecoming.  This day is always met with lots of emotion.  In some ways, the passage of time has allowed healing and a lot has happened yet at the same time, the memory of this day 4 years ago still burns vivid in my mind as if it were yesterday.  I don't think I will ever forget that day. 

A few days prior to my dad passing away, I was able to spend some one-on-one time with him.  I had made him a journal of sorts....more like a story book.  As I opened the book and read it to him, my dad who had been somewhat in and out of conscious states for a few days was very much aware and became very emotional.  It was by God's strength I made it through.  As we cried together, some of the last words by dad spoke to me were "please don't let them forget me".  He was talking about my kids.  I made a promise to him and I have stood by my promise.  This one is for you dad!!!

This picture was taken last year.  I know the Hannah and Abigail were young when he died but I hope some day they will feel like they know him from stories and pictures.  Rebekah Danielle is named after him (Danny) and I pray she will feel a connection to him as well. 

Life is journey.  The last 4 years has been quite the journey for not only me but for my whole family.  I am speaking mainly about my sweet mom.  I love her more everyday because she is the strongest person I know.  I know how today makes me feel and I can only image how this must make her feel. 

      Mom, if you are reading this, I admire your strength and determination and your unfailing dedication to our Lord and Savior.  Legacy was very important to dad and you are continuing his legacy of keeping family number one!  Thank you for being who you are and most importantly for being my mom!

 Despite the rough times, GOD IS GOOD!  We may have lost my dad but he is NOT forgotten.  I will see him again one day on the streets of gold.  What a wonderful reunion that will be!!!  I Love you dad!!

It's good to be back

Where to begin.  It is hard to know where to start bringing this blog up to speed.  A lot has happened in 3 years.  For starters, the little girl in the ultrasound picture is now almost 3.  She is as cute as a button and a genuine stinker.  I love my little Rebekah.  She calls me her "buddy".  She is so cute you could just eat her up, but this is the same precious child that got mad at me today and threw a ball and hit my head and proceed to lie about throwing the ball.  Oh the memories.

Our little Abigail is still...well....little.  She is in the first grade this year but she is not bigger than a minute.  However I stand by my claim that dynamite comes in small packages.  She is our little firecracker.  We are working on fattening her up but it doesn't seem to slow her down.  Abigail is our fashion conscience one.  She loves fashion and style and has enough shoes to outfit a small army.  Let me clarify something though...I did not buy her all those shoes...somehow she had inherited most of these shoes from friends.  I guess it pays to stay the same size for a while.

Hannah is in the third grade this year.  She is getting taller.  I figure it won't take much longer before we are seeing eye to eye.  Grrr.  They grow up too fast.  Hannah is our piano player for now.  You never know when you will find Hannah playing a song and Abigail singing to it.  Rebekah is usually around but she is somehow sabotaging the whole event.  Haha

John is working for a government contractor and really liking it.  He recently went through a company change but the adjustment has been good.  He teaches a LifeGroup at our church and refs Upward Football.  He is starting to train for a road race....distance tbd...but he just likes the discipline of training.  He NEVER turns down an opportunity to play golf and manages to keep most people in stitches.  Oh and he plays on the church softball team....and they are HORRIBLE. :-)

As for me, well you know, I am a mom.  Enough said, right?  I am keeping myself busy with different activities.  I am the MOPS Coordinator for the MOPS group at our church.  I am also an "Administrative Assistant" for the Preschool at our church.  That is just a nice title for "Newsletter Person".   I also enjoy sewing, quilting and embroidery.  I would love to scrapbook but the last time I touched a scrapbook was before my last blog entry....so sad.

Now with the fam updates out of the way, here is what has been going on over the last 3 years...in a nutshell:
- moved back to Illinois from Germany
- Got out of military
- bought our first house
- had our third baby girl
- John got a job!  Shocker :-)
- experienced the loss of all our remaining grandparents (not at the same time) 3 total
- Have done countless home improvement projects (yet the house looks the same as the day we bought it) ha
- sent both Hannah and Abigail to elementary school. (wait as I wipe the tears)
- Abigail had kidney surgery
- Traveled to Washington D.C.
- Bought a ski boat
- got our last little one out of diapers !  PTL!!!!!
-and experienced the joy of watching our oldest daughter ask Jesus into her heart and follow in believer's baptism!
All in a 3 years work!!

Introducing...

Here is our latest picture of the newest member of the Wagnon family. This is Rebekah Danielle. She should be arriving around October 11th. She is looking healthy and growing well. According to the ultrasound tech, she is measuring exactly where she should be. She has 10 fingers and 10 toes and apparently is a future gymnast. She was folded in half most of the time with her feet by her head. I understand that as the baby gets bigger, it doesn't have as much room to move around and being folded in half is somewhat of a necessity HOWEVER when you are only 13 ounces and about 11 inches long, what is the point? I guess she just enjoys being flexible. She is currently in a breech position but that is not much of a concern at this point because she has another 19 weeks to flip. God is good and we are very thankful for this healthy little girl!!!

My Little Graduate!!

Hannah graduated from Preschool on May 23rd. I guess this means I don't have all babies at home anymore. She is so excited to call herself a Kindergartener. The ceremony was really cute. Hannah's class recited the entire 23rd Psalm. I was really impressed. Hannah was the loudest one out there and she didn't skip a beat (allow me to brag for a moment). We got it on video. John and I have watched it several times and laughed everytime because kids are just so funny when they are on stage. Hannah's teacher gave each student a certificate that said what she thought each kid would be when they grew up. Hannah was the future librarian. I can see her in this profession because of her love for books. (Her Nana was very happy to hear this).

Anyway, I wish I had better pictures but I was bound to the balcony of the church because Abigail was sick but I didn't want to miss the ceremony. SOOO, most of my pictures didn't turn out well because my zoom wasn't working correctly. Figures, Right?

Hannah loses another tooth!

Since losing her first top tooth, we have been working on trying to lose the second one. HOWEVER, Hannah didn't seem to be in any type of hurry. When my mom and brother came to visit, my mom bought her some candy and told her she could eat it once she lost her tooth. With a "little" help from me, we managed to get that tooth out before my mom had to fly home.

She has a sweet little smile and it is quite funny to watch her eat and listen to her talk.

Beer Anyone?

My mom and brother came to visit and while they were here, John and I took them to an authentic German restaurant for some Jaeger Schnitzel (two thin, breaded pork cutlets in thick mushroom gravy) and Croquettes (mashed potatoes shaped into a cylinder, encased in breadcrumbs, and deep fried) SOOOOOOO YUMMY!!!






While at the restaurant, my brother wanted to order some authentic German Beer. Not being the beer connoisseur, I told him he was on his own when it came time to order. He decided on a beer and was pleased with the taste when it came out. I have to admit, it looked rather tasty but looks can be decieving. Anyway, my brother offered a drink to all at the table(minus the kids of course) and he convinced my mom (who, btw, has probably never had a drink in her life) to take a sip....SOOO the following pictures are of my mother and her experience with tasting beer. I thought it was hilarious.



This is my mom just before taking a sip. Notice the smile on her face....it doesn't stay long.

This is a picture of my mom smelling the beer. Apparently she thought it was awful...just wait until she tries it.

This is my mom actually tasting the beer. Prost Mom (that means cheers in German)!!!

And NOW the funny part. This is my mom's reaction to the beer. It is almost the same face as the one she had when she smelled it but I have to say this one is a little worse. I am still laughing.

But I can't end on that note so here is a picutre of our dessert. This was Apfelstrudel mit Eis (apple strudel with ice cream). Germans have great desserts and this one was exceptionally good.

...Like a child sleeping

Even at 3 1/2, Abigail still looks so sweet when she sleeps. On the rare occasion she actually slows down enough to fall asleep, I love to witness this event and take a picture.

The Netherlands

We got back from The Netherlands just over a week ago. We had a great time. While we were there, we went to Amsterdam and Holland. Amsterdam was quite interesting to say the very least. Everything I read about Amsterdam said that it was very liberal.....RIGHT....liberal is being very conservative! "Sweet Mary Jane" is legal there and I was shocked by the number of people smoking it. There were moments I thought, "this just can't be good for the unborn".

Anyway, despite the sex, drugs, and nudity that were ever so present, we managed to find our way to a different part of town and we went to The Anne Frank house. This was really interesting. We got to walk through the actual house where Anne Frank and her family lived in hiding from the Germans for over 2 years. It gives you a new found appreciation for your freedom.

Following our trip to Amsterdam on Friday, we headed into Holland on Saturday. We went to world famous Keukenhof Gardens. I don't think I have ever seen so many tulips in my life. It was BEAUTIFUL!. I guess there is just something to be said about the simplicity of a tulip...especailly when it is in a field of millions of tulips of all colors.




These are pictures from The Keukenhof Gardens.

...And that makes 3!!!

While we were on our trip to The Netherlands this weekend, Hannah lost her third tooth! I have been begging her to pull it out for over a week now and FINALLY it came out...or more like just fell out. She was eating a sandwich and bit into the sandwich and apparently she hit the tooth and it loosened it enough for her to just pull it right out. Her other tooth is loose as well. I am just wondering how long it is going to take for it to fall out. What do you think of her new smile? Kids...they grow up too fast!!!

Famous

For all of you American Idol fans...you can understand my excitement!! The girls and I were out running some errands last Thursday on base. It turns out that AI Season 4 finalist Anthony Fedorov was at the BX signing autographs!!! HELLO!!!! We got in line and got his autograph...actually, he gave Hannah and Abigail an autograph (apparently I don't count but whatever) We got to shake his hand and talk to him for a minute. The poor guy yawned the entire time...I can only guess from the jet lag...but he was very pleasant.

Now to clarify a few things...Anthony Fedorov wasn't my favorite and I didn't vote for him, HOWEVER, I was stoked to get an autograph from an AI finalist. It is something for the scrapbook. Where's the camera when you need it the most?

Easter

We had a good Easter. Here are a few pictures from our day.

Miss Abigail and all of her curls...they didn't last long but were cute while they lasted.


Hannah smiles for the camera. Can you believe how long her hair is?

Family picture in our backyard!!! The flowers are part of our neighbors' yard but they were just too pretty.

I'M Back...Finally

It is hard to know where to start since my last entry was about...oh...9 months ago. A lot can happen in 9 months and a lot HAS happened. Where in the world do I begin. I have to admit, my inspiration for getting back to my blog came from my friend Wendy. Apparently I was one of the ones who caused her to start blogging and then I just fall off the face of the cyber planet...sheesh...some friend I am. Anyway, I am hoping to get to my blog a little more often than ever 9 months. So here it goes...


In a nut shell, since my last entry...(in order)

My husband deployed
My dad passed away
My mom came for a visit to Germany over Thanksgiving
I missed my flight out of Frankfurt to go home for Christmas
I finally got another flight that put the girls and I in transition for over 24 hours...GRRR
All three of us got the stomach flu and missed our flight back home
Finally got to come home but had less than 24 hours before John came home from deployment
John came home (lots of tears)
We had house guests for 2 1/2 weeks in conjunction to John coming home
Everyone else in the house got the stomach flu
Went skiing in the Swiss Alps (BEAUTIFUL)
House guests leave
My grandfather passes away
Find out that I am pregnant
Decide to get out of the Military
And that pretty much brings you up to date...take a breath, crazy isn't it?

It has been quite the journey thus far and we are about to embark on another big journey with our move back to the states but in the midst of all of this, I have to say that God has been faithful. I am thankful for friends and family because without them, it would be impossible to make it through.

I am hoping to have a few pictures posted soon of our adventures in Switzerland. This next weekend we are headed to Holland to see all the tulips. I can't wait. Those pics should be gorgeous.

Well Wendy, I hope you enjoy reading. You are my inspiration to stick with this. I just hope you haven't given up on me. Talk to you soon.

We have finally caught a break

I am happy to report that the temperature has significantly dropped over the last few days. The temperature reading right now is 75.7 degrees...down from the 95 and 97 degree days last week. I never thought I would be so happy to see rain but I say BRING IT ON!!!! In stead of singing "Rain, Rain, Go Away" it now goes something like this..."Rain, Rain, please stay, come again on Tuesday!"

To Braid or Not to Braid

I have just learned how to french braid. I have been practicing on Hannah each night after her bath (much to her dismay). Abigail's hair is still too short for me to braid but hopefully by the time her hair is long enough, I will be able to braid really well and really fast.

From the Beautiful Alps in Garmisch Germany

I thought everyone might like to see a few pictures of our latest journey. Over the 4th of July, we went to Garmisch, Germany and stayed at a military resort called Edelweiss Resort and Lodge. This is the view from our balcony. The scenery was BEAUTIFUL.







This is a picture of the Neuschwanstein Castle aka Cinderella's Castle. The inside of the castle was amazing but the view was even more spectacular.










You are probably wondering why I would put this picture in here. It is a picture of the Germany/Austria border. Unfortunately, we didn't get a stamp in our passport but at least I can say I have been to Austria.

It's ME Again

It has been a while since my last posting. I guess life just gets busy(lame excuse, I know) but there has been a lot of "stuff" lately. Wendy, I am writing this blog entry in honor of you. You will have to let me know how I am doing.

Well, lets play catch up. Since my last entry,
-My furniture arrived
-I spent the next few weeks unpacking and situating.
-John went TDY for 8 days in the midst of putting our house together
-My little dachshund, Spencer, ran away and as of today is still missing in Illinois somewhere
-both of my children decided it would be fun to get the stomach flu and throw up (have I mentioned how much I hate to clean up puke)
-found out my husband will be deploying in September AND he will be missing all holidays and both of the girls' birthdays
-And to top it off, I now have the flu.

That is just the highlights of the past month and a half. All in all, we are doing well. John and I have daily discussions about what we need to get done before he has to leave for 4 months. It is the annoying things like buying new tires for the car that frustrates me. I know I am very capable of buying tires but it all boils down to the fact that "I just don't WANT to."

Unfortunately, I have not been able to scrapbook since moving here. I do, however have my own scrapbooking area in my house. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of lonely nights scrapbooking.

A new hobby of mine is sewing. John bought me a new sewing maching for my birthday. It has the ability to do embroidery too. I have been taking classes on how to use my machine. I am excited about the possibilities of things I can do with it. (No more bad birthday and Christmas presents)

Well Wendy, until the next entry, I will be here in Germany, enjoying the 95 degree weather with no airconditioning and waiting for a response from you. :-)