Our new home!!!

Yeah, we bought the whole thing because the dollar course is amazing!!


Just kidding, and in case anyone was wondering, a euro currently costs $1.56!! This is, to date, the worst exchange rate we or the Smelsers have ever seen!
Anyway, we're still stepping out in faith and will be living on the third floor of this romantic half-timber house!

This is half of our office, Brett has his own desk, opposite mine!


This is Fiona's room, time for a big girl bed!!

I'm coming up our steps into the foyer (the bathroom has a door, too). I think, think, Fiona was feeling a bit neglected.

English Lessons

So here I am playing teacher to Tim, Thorge, Paul and Max. Their parents thought it would be helpful for them to spend some intense (and believe me, it's intense) time working on English.

Johannes helped me teach them a new game one day. I try to balance the boring stuff (essays, dictations, looking up words) with fun stuff (cooking, playing games and listening to music) all the while speaking English. I think they're learning and having fun.

Let's talk...

Kirsten and Simone came over this morning. I met them at our Krabbelgruppe (tuesday toddler group). Kirsten was looking for someone to answer her difficulties with Bible. She sent Brett a list. Brett loves answering questions for a searching soul. Kirsten said she could tell everything he was saying came from the heart. Brett was on an absolute high afterwards!!

Fiona and I played with Simone while they were talking. They had fun together, but there is no way I could deal with twins!!

Bye-bye, Abby!

So, it's Monday night and we get a call. The people from the Berner Sennenhund (Abby's breed) rescue organization want to pick Abby up on Tuesday. We're thinking we can call them and ask them for a few more days so people, especially Catja, can tell her good-bye.

Oh, no, they're coming at 10:30. Apparently, they had organized a chain of transportation to get Abby to her new home. It all just happened so fast. Abby could tell something was up because we never pet her as much as we did that morning and I, for some reason, couldn't stop crying.

Abby seemed happy to see the lady who picked her up, she's generally leary of new people, but she greeted her with great enthusiasm, which may have had something to do with the pieces of meat in her pocket. I called this morning and Abby got there safely, was happy to meet her new sister (the family has another girl dog, who is showing her the ropes), slept well and is eating normally. I think we're all a little sad, but also relieved. We said Abby was going on a trip and that seemed to satisfy Fiona. She hasn't asked about her, yet.

Pigtails

Fiona let me do her hair today. As soon as we were done shooting, she took everything out.

It's been a while...

We were off-line all weekend. You don't notice how much you depend on it until you don't have it. Anyway, a new post is overdue, I know. I've also been mute since friday night, went "disco-bowling" with the youth group and haven't been the same since.

Eating Gummibears from her baby's potty. It seems like she has been talking more since I've lost my voice.

And Abby seems to be sensing that something's going to change. I've found an amazing solution for her, too. Apparently, there is an organization that exists solely to protect and "rescue" Abby's breed. I've gotten in touch with one of the founders, who has 4 Abbys, and we are working out the details. It sounds very much like an adoption agency.