But I Don't Want to Go Home!

Well, the dreaded day has arrived. This is my last day with Min and my precious grandsons, Luke and Will. Yesterday we had a great day. We travelled to Idar Oberstein to buy my train ticket for tomorrow morning. We decided to do a little shopping and Min found all kinds of toys. Luke even found a "Mater" truck from the "Cars" movie. It was in German packaging but when we opened it - he talked in English!

Today was supposed to be a special day. We went to church this morning and came home to eat lunch. The plan was for Min to bake a birthday cake and we were going to have a small celebration for Luke's 2nd birthday which is in 2 weeks. Guka and I had bought him a small DVD player and thought it would be fun to present it to him before I leave tomorrow-however- our little Luke woke up from his nap with an upset stomach. He has not been able to keep any liquids down for the last 7 hours. This has been torture to see him so sick again and have to leave tomorrow. Please pray that Luke will start feeling better soon and neither Min or Will will get this stuff.



I just want to share a few pictures of the last few days. Steve sent a box with "Cars" bed sheets and Min put them on Luke's bed the other day. Ever since whenever its bedtime, Luke can't wait to go lay on his new "Cars" sheets. Its so cute!




The night after Luke opened his car sheets he decided that Guka
deserved a place beside his Daddy on his shelf before he went to bed.
During the night he had both pictures in bed with him and when I went
to get him when he awakened both of these pictures were at the doorway!

Happy Birthday to Guka!

Some boys never grow up!

We want to wish Guka a Happy, Happy Birthday. When we web cammed with Guka this morning we had our on little birthday party. Luke loved it. Check out the pictures. Even Daddy got to join us via a picture! I'm sorry I am not there to celebrate but it sounds like Randy and Jamie took good care of him while I've been gone. At our small group study on Sunday night, they surprised him with a party. Miss Agnes brought him his favorite coconut banana cake and a good time was had by all!Last night Randy and Jame took him to Outback so I guess Meme is not really missed. Since next week is Randy's birthday, we are planning to check out Ruth Chris steak house in Ocean City when I get home.

Well, the weekend was much better for the Baumholder Scotts. Everyone started feeling better on Saturday but we just took it easy. The weather was cooler and we had some rain but it hasn't been bad at all. The sun has been out every day. Yay!

Monday, Min was able to run a few errands while I watched the children. In the afternoon, we went to the "Play Group." This is when all the mothers get out of the house and come to a play room and let the kids run wild while they visit. Min said the mothers enjoy it as much as the kids.I'm not sure how much grandmothers enjoy it!

We have been having fun every night doing the "Go Luke Dance." We find some "get down" music and take off with some great moves. Luke just runs around in circles saying "dance, dance" over and over. Last night we found the song "Stomp" by Kirk Franklin on youtube and had a blast! Even Min and Will danced with us. Unfortunately, Meme has to stop for awhile so she won't have a heart attack. But I'm sure its great for a few weightwatchers activity points. We find this activity very helpful when Luke goes to bed because he's asleep in seconds.

Now, if we could find some music that would keep him asleep at 6am in the morning, that would be nice. He now wakes up every morning between 5:30 and 6:00. Mommy and Meme are definitely not ready to get out of bed. Luke always wants his Mommy first thing so I haven't been able to help much. I usually get up for about an hour and then go back to bed for a couple-otherwise, I don't think I could keep up. I don't know how Mindy keeps going.

Today we hope to venture a drive to Vogelway. Mindy has the directions but has never driven by herself. We wanted to do some shopping since the the PX there is much nicer then Baumholder. They have a great toy section and electronics dept.

I wanted to share some pictures for the last several days. Enjoy!

Why I'm Here!

Well its very clear to me today why I came at this particular time to help Min and the boys. Luke was sick earlier in the week but last night Min and Will started with a fever and this morning she drove herself and Will to the local German hospital while I stayed with Luke. They were sick all night and Min said she better go get them started on antibiotics. She came home with all kinds of meds and they've been trying to get better but Min is still pretty weak and sick. I don't know how she would have made it without me. Her other friends all have children and they can't be around other sick kids so who knows what would have happened. Thanks be to God that He ordained that I be here right now. Now if you, Oh Lord will bring in Will's passport in the next couple days, that would be awesome. I don't know how I'm going to leave them in another week. Please pray for us that God will open the doors soon. Pray that tomorrow will be a better day and everyone will be on the road to good health. (Please pray that I won't catch whatever is going around!)

Luke and I had a great time today. Now that he is feeling better, he's really warmed up to me and we are becoming great buddies. He let me put him down for his nap and bedtime today and he ate like a bear at supper! I couldn't fill him up! We went for a long walk with his stroller and then spent some time at the playground. I've got some great pictures but haven't downloaded them yet. I'll try to post tomorrow.

Here's some from the other day to hold you over!

Luke at the bakery in Idar Oberstein

Luke with his blue eyes to match his new blue PJS!

Will in his swing in the kitchen

Our Germany Adventure

Well, since Mindy is very busy with her boys, and doesn't have time to post, I thought I would share what's been happening over here in Baumholder for the last few days. I shared on the previous post that Luke was sick and she took him to the doctor on Monday. Monday and Tuesday were a little hairy but we all made it through and by Tuesday evening, Luke was feeling much better...so we decided to take a little adventure. We googled some of the train stops between Idar Oberstein and Mainz and decided to visit Bad Kreuznach on Wednesday. It was pretty funny how we decided on a destination. It was pretty much based on the fact that the train ride wasn't too long and what type of attractions were available. Google is a wonderful tool to research places. We downloaded a map, circled a few places of interest, and checked the train schedules.

So Wednesday morning, we set off to Idar Oberstein. This was only Mindy's second attempt to travel off the post and she did a fantastic job. We had a little problem with parking at first but finally found our way into a parking garage, unpacked the stroller and kids and backpacks and began our adventure. We bought a round trip train ticket at the train station and since we had a little time to kill we decided to check out the Idar Oberstein shopping area across the street. It was a beautiful day (as all of the days have been since I arrived). We stopped at a bakery and had a pastry and walked back to the train station. Since the "lifts/elevators" were not working we had to take both boys and the double stroller up several flight of stairs to the train platforms. So many people all day were very helpful to assist us when we were trying to get to the trains and platforms. No escalators or elevators in sight. Actually, on our way back from Bad Kreuznach, the train conductor at the station stopped a train and opened the gate so we could cross to our track for the train we needed. That was a very unexpected blessing!

So, anyway, we got on the train and Luke was so excited. He was in his "Luke Daze" at first but finally warmed up to the idea. He enjoyed watching the many sights as the train flew by. We arrived in Bad Kreuznach around 12:45Pm and after a slight turn in the wrong direction we ended up on the very street we were searching for. It was Mannheimer Str. and there were all kinds of shops and eating places along the way. It was pretty busy- I don't think Mindy nor I expected it to be such a big city. We saw some quaint houses and businesses. We ate pizza at an Italian restaurant outside- I don't think we realized at first it was Italian and we were disappointed when we couldn't find schnitzel on the menu but since we were already seated we decided to stay. It was very pleasant and the the waiter was very helpful.

After lunch, we walked up to the "bridge houses" and looked around some more and then walked back to the train station to catch the 4:02 train back to Idar Oberstein. We arrived home around 6pm and were exhausted! We both went to bed at 10:00pm and have tried to catch up on our rest today.

Unfortunately, that's not easy for Mindy. I tried to let her sleep in this morning but Luke would not allow me to take care of him- he insisted on his Mommy so she had to get up early. Then the maintenance men arrived at 7am and were working outside Luke's window. The other day when he was trying to nap, they were drilling in the hallway by his room. It is getting very frustrating to deal with these worker's schedules. They either work very early in the morning, then they leave and come back at 1pm when it's nap time. I'm not sure where they are in between but it is ridiculous and very inconvenient for families with young children. They've been working on this building since Chris and Mindy moved in. You'd think they could just work until they finish one building and not have to take 8 months to finish a job!

Oh well, the other news of the day is now Will has a fever. He's been lethargic and sleepy all day. I don't know how I'm going to leave Mindy in another week and half. I'm very concerned about how she can handle this much longer-especially when the kids are sick every other week. Please pray that Will's passport comes in soon so they can make a trip to the states! She needs some major support!

We talked to Chris the other night. It was great to hear his voice. I really miss him- there's a definite void in this place without him here. I know Mindy and the boys are missing him terribly and trying to do the best they can.

Here's some pictures of our adventure:

Mindy and the boys as we were leaving

Meme and Will and Luke at the Bakery

One of the beautiful churches in Bad Kreuznach

Side Street in Bad Kreuznach

Cathedral- Bad Krueznach

Train Station

Meme and Luke on train

Will at train station platform

Mindy and the boys on train

Return to Baumholder!

Well, can you believe it? I am here in Baumholder with Min and the boys. It has been quite the adventure and way out of my comfort zone to travel alone, catch a train and wait at the train station in some town I've never been to before!. I had hoped to arrive in time to catch the bus from Idar Oberstein to Baumholder so Min would not have to drag the kids out to meet me. But unfortunately, I missed my connection and Min decided she would rather come pick me up rather than wait a couple more hours. I think she was afraid I might turn around and go back home- she wasn't taking a chance with me so close!

When I arrived in Frankfurt, I had to wait in line to go through customs and then claim my baggage. I didn't see any signs for a train station or any information counter at first but I just kept following the others and saw some arrows pointing toward a train station- but I was a little confused since the arrows pointed out in front of the airport and all I saw were buses. I went back in and asked someone and she directed me across the street where I finally saw the signs for "Regionalbahnhuf" I knew I was in the right place. Of course, I went toward the "Fernbahnhof, (long distance trains) first but just turned around and went back down the escalator to the regional express trains. It was crazy there but after asking a nice lady at the Information desk she pointed me to the ticket machine and I watched the person in front of me buy his ticket and I just followed the directions and paid with my credit card. It was a lot easier than I thought. My major issue was the weight of my luggage. I only had one suitcase but it was close to 50lbs and my carry on had to be about 20lbs. That was no problem as long as the escalators were working but when I went to the wrong platform and looked to go back up- the escalator was not moving. I sent a quick prayer and said "Lord. how am i going to get all this heavy luggage up the stairs and next thing I knew, the escalator started moving again!! I almost sang the doxology right in the middle of the train station!! I waited an hour until the train arrived, loaded my luggage up the steps of the train, found a seat and was on my way!

It was a beautiful ride through the German countryside and I enjoyed the trip. Once I arrived in Idar Oberstein, I called Mindy and soon we were reunited. What a relief! The weather has been beautiful since I arrived and we have been enjoying our time together.

Friday, we just took it easy and then, Saturday, we went to a luncheon for mothers and children provided by the chapel. It was very nice. Saturday afternoon, we walked to the playground and rented a movie. Sunday, we went to church and then had Min's friend, Monica and her twin daughters and son over for dinner. Everything was going great until Luke started acting really fussy and Min took his temperature and it was 102! Our fun evening quickly came to an end.

Today, Luke has still been running a temp so that began the next adventure. This afternoon, Min decided she better take him to the doctor since the tylenol was not working. So, Monica offered to go with her, if I would come watch her kids. So I found myself warming up dinner for twin girls (age 3) and her little Will who is almost one year old. Things were going great until I closed poor little Will's fingers in the fridge door. He started screaming, the rolls were burning in the oven, and the little girls were looking at me wondering what was going on? Truthfully, they were much calmer than me, but finally Will calmed down and dinner was served and all was well. That was my "taste" of Monica's world and boy, she has all my respect and admiration- and prayers! Her children are precious and I really did enjoy being with them. And all that took place in 45 minutes. Can you believe that fast service in an ER? It was the local German dr. Luke was diagnosed with an ear infection, given an antibiotic and ear drops and sent home- all within 30 minutes!

Well, hopefully, Luke will be on the mend and we'll be able to get out this week and have some fun. Min is very tired and was very happy that I came. I am happy to be here and love being with them and the fact that I can be of help. I do not know how she can handle these children on her own- or any of these military families. We really need to keep them in our prayers and do all we can to lend a hand when possible.

Here's some pictures I wanted to share so far:

A scene from the train

Luke in his new "cars" shirt that talks!

MeMe giving Luke his new Car shoes from Guka

My Precious angels

At the playground

Min and her boys

Isn't he adorable?

She Will Be Back!

Well, the top news is - I am returning to Germany in a few days. Last Tuesday morning during my devotions I asked the Lord if there was any way I could find reasonable air fare in the next few weeks, I really felt Mindy could use a break and I was more than willing to take a trip to see them. I give praise and honor to the Lord who knows our every need and provides for his children! In June, the air fares more than double for the summer season, but in the next month they are somewhat reasonable. The next hurdle was taking more vacation time at work but I have a very empathetic supervisor and he has agreed I can take the next 2 weeks as vacation even though it makes us understaffed. I am so appreciative of both he and my co-worker's understanding. They can find some solace in I have only one week left for the rest of the year!

I think this visit will definitely help Min and Chris and the boys- giving them a break in the time before they can possibly return to the states. We have a faithful and all powerful God and He is deserving of all our praise.

Yesterday, Friday, I (Judy) went to a scrapbooking retreat in Ocean City, Md with some friends from Cross Pointe. It was a great time and I made some new friends. I really wanted to stay tonight- Saturday- also, but I have a lot to do in the next few days and felt it best that I come on home. Revival begins tomorrow for the next 4 days and I really did not want to miss any of the services. I have been praying for a fresh anointing on our people and specifically myself. I want to be available to the Holy Spirit to continually shape me into the vessel of honor for Him.

I have been doing very well on my Weight Watchers online. As of Friday, I had lost 6 lbs! I really tried to behave this weekend so we'll see how Monday's weigh in goes! Wish me luck and some self control!!

Here's some recent pictures of Will and Luke. The next ones on this blog will be of them with MEME!

Last Sunday dinner with Family & Friends

Some of the Scrapbooking retreat:

My lifelong friend and sister in heart- Lois

My many visits with Scrappy at my workstation!

I won the "Cute as a Button prize- We had to design a page using a button theme!

Steve, not to be outdone received his own award last week! (Remember the "brush fire" in the back yard a couple weeks ago!