Frequent Flier Miles

Last weekend was a monumental occasion for the Dirk's family because our sweet Aunt Melodee (aka Aunt Roomie) became Mrs. Penner and we gained a fantastic Uncle and brother in law. So, we hopped on a plane one more time to spend a celebratory week in Kansas with the Dirks and Penners.


We tried to help out as much as we could leading up to the big day. Even the kids helped. Here Maggie is helping Melodee open an early wedding gift it was an heirloom nativity set, complete with baby "Emmanuel."Henry performed as one of the ring bearers, but played much better in his role as dance scene stealer/John Travolta at the reception.
Maggie was one of three flower girls and did a fabulous job throwing the petals, even though little brother tried to pick them up and put them back in her bucket, this was all before he was ushered out of the sanctuary prior to completing his trek down the aisle (I think we may have dodged a bullet on that one). He started losing it when he saw Daddy and Mommy at the front of the church (I was a bridesmaid and Tyler officiated) he came out of his petal picking stupor and sort of moaned "DahhhDdddeeeee."
Maggie and Henry showed some brotherly/sisterly love during the rehearsal.
Carb loading before the march down the aisle. You got to keep your energy up, or your children happy whichever comes first.
Pinning the grooms boutonnière on his lapel.
And the oh so important ring bearers as well.
The beautiful bride and her proud papa. I must admit I got a little choked up watching these two dance especially when I looked over at Maggie gazing at the two from the sidelines and realized that she would be doing the same thing one day. But, hopefully we can hold her off until she's forty.
My sweet mother in law and me enjoying the reception. This lady worked hard so that this day would be so special for her little girl, and I would say she did a fabulous job and mission accomplished.
Maggie took a few spins on the dance floor with her Dog and Daddy too. She loved spinning around in her long flowing dress.
The couple was married in Dodge City Kansas and so we did a bit of travelling back and forth to Garden City throughout the week. Titus was a faithful pooch as he watched us come and go, so Maggie showed him some love. Henry enjoyed showing Titus the love too, I'm not sure Titus appreciated his "love" nearly as much, especially when he tried to ride him like a horse.
When we left on Monday from the Wichita airport we ran into these two, Mrs. and Mr. Penner, they were on there way to Mexico! We were so glad to see them, but no one was more so than our two little ones that kept asking questions like "where did Aunt Melodee go," and "is Aunt Melodee Mrs. Penner now?" It really was a great week, thanks for everything Dog, Grams, and Mr. and Mrs. Penner.

Back in the Saddle...

So as soon as we got back home a few weeks ago the first thing Maggie did was (of course) dress up in her princess outfits. Whenever I asked her in Germany what she was looking forward to doing back in Charlotte she always replied with, "I am going to dress up and play with my toys." That is exactly what she did and has been doing ever since we arrived back in the good ole USA.

Tyler also took her to her first ever big screen movie. Here they are posing just before they left, note the back pack our innocent three year old is wearing so that she can sneak in some goldfish snacks....certainly this is allowed.
Toy Story 3, I still haven't seen it but I've heard it's pretty awesome.
We also have been doing a lot of visiting and catching up with family and friends. We even had an impromptu visit from my sister and her clan. Henry was super excited to hold "the baby," Evan. And, he just couldn't stop calling his cousin Brody, "Sam." (Which is certainly a compliment for both of his buddies.)
We stopped through Columbia and visited with Grandma Dot, and after she fed us a delicious dinner, the kids helped themselves to a few rides on Grandma D's orthopedic, remote controlled lazy boy.
Grandma Dot and the two crazy great grands.
After our short trip to Columbia/Chapin (and a fabulous reunion with the ever popular Grandma and Poppa and a first birthday party celebration with cousin Trooper) it was back to dress up in Charlotte with our little friend Zion.

Homeward Bound

We have been safely home in North Carolina for over a week now. The flight was amazing, and our kids were champions the whole way home. God is good! Here are a few last pics from our last moments in Berlin.
We skyped with our cousin Brody and Aunt Christine before we left. This was a great way to stay connected to our friends and family back in the States, it also gave us a chance to make funny faces across the miles.

Our last Tuesday was spent with the Interns and this wonderful family, the Elmericks, at the lake. They were one of the reasons we were in Berlin this Summer. They oriented us to the culture, the city and treated us like family while we were there. They were great and we will (and do) miss them dearly.
There was a cool water slide for the kids and the adults at this lake. Here's Maggie on the kiddie one.
There was splashing and swimming.
And ice cream eating too. It was a lot of fun even though the water was freezing (according to my standards I should say).
Maggie's little imagination sky rocketed while we were in Berlin. Mostly due to the fact that we had limited toys and ample time indoors while Henry napped. I must say my imagination soared as well as I looked for new activities to enjoy with my energetic three year old. Pictured above is Maggie playing "barbies" as she called it, which entailed one barbie and a dozen miscellaneous toys (and boxes) she gathered from happy meals, airlines, the Elmericks, care packages and the family center.
The kids enjoyed watching the airplanes in the airport in Berlin and in our connecting airport in Munich. We had such a fun Summer. It was hard work at times, but well worth it. We will miss you Germany!
Henry may have been the youngest child on our flight from Munich to Charlotte, and so the lucky little guy got to enjoy his very own bassinet. And, yes he actually did sleep in it.

Hunt/Dirks Reunion take 2

While we're here in Europe we thought we'd make the most of the fact that we are only one country and no oceans away from the ever lovable Hunt family. So, a trip was in order and this time it was the Hunts turn to come to us here in Berlin. After we were reunited on Friday and had spent an afternoon at the neighborhood playgrounds and streams, we then chose to explore Berlin on Saturday starting with a double decker bus ride in the rain. Never have I seen such an excited little Sambo. We sat on top of the bus, in the front, so you can see why.
We quickly stood in front of the brandenburg gate during a thunderstorm, with sparse bolts of lightening streaking across the sky, for a picture. Sadly, there was no time for Melissa and I to take a picture by the hotel where MJ dangled little "blanket" from the balcony of his hotel suit (at the hotel to our right). And a side note to all: You know you have a great friend when you can both agree that this would be an excellent idea and definitely something worth capturing for posterity. Tragically this did not happen.
We sought shelter from the rain in the Riechstag and the kids enjoyed the view from the top.
We took charge over Sam so the Hunts could actually listen to the auditory guided tour.
Then off to the sony center for lunch by the fountain.
Then off to the wall memorial.
And, then double date night!!!
Schnitzel und bier!
After we failed at finding a boat to rent for a cruise down the river, nachos, margaritas and ice cream seemed like a perfect way to wrap up the evening. (P.S. McCanns thought of you during our dinner at Tex-Mex and remembered the sweet nachos we had when we were in Honduras).

Tyler took panoramics to a whole new level by including himself in his own masterpiece (not using a self-timer). Pretty clever I know.
Super Dad!
We heart the Hunts, thanks for coming all the way to Berlin!

P.S. I am updating this post before the Hunts have even arrived back in Prague! How about a cyber-pat on the back?

this and that...

These are just some pictures from the past week I thought I'd share. This first one is really special to me because it shows a part of my summer that I have thoroughly enjoyed. These three guys are our interns, you may remember them from earlier posts. Well, they are three college guys that gave up their summer to come to Berlin and work hard. They have been selfless in so many ways and loved us and others so well, and they are really just a fun bunch to be around. On this particular occasion we had just finished our weekly "stammtisch" and then sang some worship songs together. It was such a sweet time, and although yahtzee night and WM finale stammtisch were fun, being in a community with my new and cherished brothers in Christ and worshiping our Lord beats all.
Tyler and I did finally have our Anniversary dinner, but we didn't end up in the TV tower like we thought we would. Turns out there was a two week wait to go there, so instead we headed over to Museum Island and enjoyed some fine cuisine and some BFF time by the canal.
We took a picture of our dessert with my Dad mostly in mind, because we knew he would love the two dessert selections we chose, German cheesecake and apfel streudel...YUM!
And, then back at the homestead during any given bath night, but particularly last week, this little guy found himself rather sudsy.
And, finally here is Henry in his new favorite head gear. Thanks to our ever so generous neighbors Jule, Grischa and particularly Joscha (Henry's bud), Henry was able to discover his new passion in life, biking. We borrowed their road bike for the weekend and to say Henry loved it would be an understatement. He screamed bloody murder every time we took him off of it, much to my embarrassment. But, I should have seen this coming seeing as how he is constantly trying to sneak a ride any time a bike is left vacant in the playground or anywhere. We can safely say that Henry has a need for speed.
Here's a better picture of us with the Interns from the left we have Seth, Tyler, Henry, Andrew, Joseph and Me and Maggie.

the start of something good...

Yesterday we headed on yet another train ride to a place called Wittenberg. Perhaps you have heard of it? It's a small little town where Martin Luther changed history by nailing the 95 thesis to some church doors in an effort to reform the church. However the church was reluctant to embrace Marty's suggestions and thus the Protestant Reformation was officially begun on October 31, 1517. We've wanted to visit here all summer and it was exciting to finally get there and experience the history that erupted in this small town so many years before our arrival.
The train station sign.
Here is the door, not the original one, but the place where the original door used to be. Does this make sense? The original one burned down, not sure how..sorry.
Tyler and Maggie paid a euro to climb to the top of the church tower, all 1,000 steps that is, and were able to take some beautiful pictures of Wittenberg.
The Dirks with Martin, inside the church.
This is the town square, the area is prone to flooding so those big towers in the background are actually grain elevators to keep the grain dry when the area floods. (Don't quote me on the grain...but some sort of crop).
Saturday also happened to be our 6th year anniversary, and so we enjoyed a private lunch together in the heart of the city. Or...
We would have liked to have that lunch, but we had these two rascals with us. But, thankfully the restaurant had some fun kids toys for the little ones to play with while we waited for our food. But, don't feel sorry for us we plan on having our "anniversary" date this Tuesday at a nice restaurant in the TV tower.
After lunch we visited a Luther museum and saw some Luther stuff, like the original Bible that he translated into German. So, all people could read the Word of God, this was really cool. So thankful for men like Luther that the Lord has used to bring us closer to Him.

And, of course we can't go anywhere in Germany without sampling the local ice cream shops.These are the beautiful flowers my hubby got me for our 6th year celebration. What a good man, and not just because he gets me pretty arrangements. I have married the man I pray for my son to be, a man with a heart like Davids, a man with a heart like Gods. He challenges me and our family each day to grow and become better and more like Christ. He does this through example and word. I see his love for our King and I see his love for me and our children and my heart bursts. He loves so well and so completely those the Lord has given him to lead. July 10th 2004 I made one of the best decisions of my life, I love you babe!