Festivities to celebrate KK’s big day officially began on home turf, though: Her bridal shower and bachelorette weekend took place here in Georgia. Since I’m currently back to being a Georgia Peach, I was the lucky one who didn’t have to travel this time!

The shower was down in Peachtree City, so the night before, we had an old-school family dinner- Mom, Dad, and 3 of the 4 sisters! I don’t know when the last time was we all sat in our “assigned seats” and ate mom’s cooking without any spouses/friends/kids/others at the table. It was just too bad Janice couldn’t be there. . . then again, Oregon is a long way from Georgia. . .

. . . Little did KK know, though, that Janice actually WAS en route to surprise her and attend the festivities. She arrived on Saturday morning while KK was “out and about” with bridesmaid Anamanda.

The surprise!

The shower was beautiful, and KK opened great gifts, including one that was bound to please Mike:

Next, the party pared down to the “bachelorette” crew, who completed a fun video scavenger hunt before heading up to Atlanta for a night of good food and fun.

Matron of honor Linda had arranged for a great dinner, dessert, and night in a beautiful hotel with a rooftop pool in Midtown.

The next three weeks flew by, and before we knew it, we were all in Ithaca, NY for the big day! We stayed at the same house in Brooktondale we had rented for KK’s graduation, so it was fun to have the family mostly together. Simona and Andreas enjoyed some down time with Uromi.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of the rehearsal dinner or Polterabend, which took place at Mike’s parents’ house. It was a great evening, including delicious roasted pig, a bonfire, ice cream, and, of course, the requisite plate breaking and sweeping.

The next morning, we headed up to the beautiful Aurora Inn, located on the shores of Cayuga Lake. Though the day was windy and cool with occasional raindrops, it was anything but drab. (And actually, that’s exactly my favorite kind of weather- like a good fall day along the Elbe River in Schleswig Holstein!)

The bride was beautiful, and the bright colors she had chosen contrasted beautifully with the gray sky.

The ceremony took place at a church a few doors down and was followed by a salute from KK & Mike’s crew friends. (I should also note that the groom himself rowed in a race (with his bride watching) THAT MORNING!)

After that, it was back to the Aurora Inn for a night of dancing and fun.

The newlyweds honeymooned in Hawaii before settling down in their current home in Nashua, NH. We’re so happy for you, Mike & KK! Congratulations!

Wedding #3 for us was that of my older (but not bigger!) sister, Janice. She and her (now husband) Gus met in Eugene, Oregon as grad students at the University of Oregon in 2005. Gus has been an unofficial member of the family since about 2007, and we all welcomed the chance to formally induct him to the clan. Whether Gus, an only child used to small, calm family gatherings, was equally eager to join our crazy, busy family. . . well, let’s just say that he loves Janice an awful lot! We have tried to go easy on him, but you know how it can be with the ever-changing, ever-dramatic dynamics of four sisters. Especially in a year in which each of them is experiencing major life transitions. (As my uncle famously says, “Our family puts the FUN in dysfunctional!”)

In seriousness, though, we looked forward to our trip to Eugene for many reasons, not least of which was seeing Janice marry the man she loves. Linda flew to Oregon with S, A, and me, and the kids did really well on the long flight. KK had possibly the craziest schedule, graduating from her nutrition program at Vanderbilt only to fly directly to Oregon. But we enjoyed the final pre-wedding festivities, which included decorating Janice and Gus’s backyard for the “Polterabend” and having an impromptu bachelorette party in Eugene.

The Polterabend was a casual barbecue in their backyard, which was great fun. Between jet lag and tired children, our family couldn’t stay for the bonfire and late-night festivities but still enjoyed the time to catch up with friends and family.

Next, the party moved to the Eagle Rock Lodge, located on the banks of the McKenzie River in the beautiful Cascade Mountain range. Caleb and I thought we had the best room in the bed and breakfast, but so did most everyone else- that’s how beautiful the entire lodge was! In addition to fabulous rooms and gorgeous scenery, the hosts served the most amazing breakfast spread. If you ever find yourself vacationing in Oregon, we highly recommend this place! Our only regret is that we didn’t have enough time to take in the natural beauty and explore the area more.

*Credit for most of these photos goes to my cousin Kai- Danke!

SO. . . rewinding to Memorial Day Weekend and Summer Wedding #2:
Mere weeks after our move to Atlanta and my sister Linda’s wedding, we flew up to Maine for my cousin’s wedding. We now have had the opportunity to spend time in Maine during 3 of the last 4 summers, and we have grown to LOVE those visits. Not only is the weather and scenery gorgeous, but it is also great fun to catch up with the wonderful extended family we have up north.

The wedding took place in Damariscotta, a picturesque coastal Maine town, on an absolutely perfect early summer afternoon. The bride and groom’s joy was evident and permeated every aspect of the day, from the elegant ceremony to the festive reception.

Another highlight of the weekend for our family included an afternoon exploring Fort Williams Park and the Cape Elizabeth lighthouse in South Portland, which proffered stunning scenery and a chance for Caleb to practice skipping rocks with Simona.

The next summer trip took us to the “other” Portland, this time on the West Coast. After flying into Portland, Oregon and then driving down to Eugene, we got to enjoy the equally beautiful scenery of the Northwest. The purpose of this trip was, of course, my sister Janice’s wedding, which will be detailed in my next post. We wished we had more time to enjoy the great outdoors (and the blissfully cool weather), but that just means we’ll have to find a way to make it out west again before too much time elapses.

After a sweltering seven weeks in Atlanta, we were off on our Midwestern roadtrip. The first part has already been chronicled here, but the second part took us to new parts of the country. Since our good friends Sam & Sarah moved away from DC in early 2008, we have made it a goal to visit their home in Kansas. That opportunity finally came during Caleb’s semester break in August.

From Iowa, we drove to Wichita, Kansas, where we spent about 4 days reconnecting not only with Sam, Sarah, and their two kids; but also with friends Anna, Justin, and their two kids. Their family was also part of our small group in DC, but they moved back to their home state of California during the summer of 2008. The fact that all TWELVE of us were able to reunite was nothing short of amazing. Sam and Sarah graciously hosted all of us, and we all LOVED not only their beautiful old home, but also the state/city of Wichita, Kansas. Best of all, of course, was creating new memories of cooking delicious dinners, making ice cream, playing in the sprinkler, going to the playground, and generally enjoying fellowship with dear friends.

Sadly, all good vacations must come to an end, so we left Wichita and drove through Oklahoma to reach Arkansas, where stopped for dinner with our friends Jake & Trisha and their boys, Eliot & Oliver. The next day, we got to stop for lunch and playground time with Dave, Heidi, and their daughter Rosie in Memphis, Tennessee before finally finishing up the LONG roadtrip and arriving back in Atlanta that night. We estimate that we drove about 3,000 miles and visited with 22 friends from our times in DC and/or Chicago along the route. Definitely a well-needed, refreshing break to a hot summer in Atlanta!

Much fun was had at Grandma & Grandpa’s! One of the kids’ favorite activities was simply riding little bikes out on the driveway.

Grandpa also let them play in a puddle out front right after some rain, which Andreas especially enjoyed.

Grandma took us to the Iowa Children’s Museum, which was a highlight for Simona. She got to be a doctor, a cashier, a dentist, a pizza-maker, a ballerina, and much more.

Andreas found plenty of “Flugzeuge” (airplanes) and other entertainment, too.

And Grandma treated us to a ride on the carousel after lunch, which both kids adored.

Other kid-fun during the week included a trip to the splash park, rides on the tire swing, and lots of reading books and playing on the living room floor with Grandma & Grandpa. (More pictures are on the “photos” page).

Meanwhile. . . while the kids were having fun with Grandma & Grandpa, Caleb and I got a chance to go to Chicago by ourselves! We enjoyed an evening with Northwestern friends Anne, Wei-Lin, Brett, Mary Ruth, and Cordell, eating Chicago style pizza and home-made ice cream; wandered around the NU campus reminiscing; visited Dan, Hilary, and their new son Drew (more NU friends); and generally enjoyed Chicago in the summertime.

On the way back to Iowa, we detoured through Dyersville to see the Field of Dreams (ie the cornfield / farm where the famous movie was filmed). As huge baseball fans, it was about time we made it to this site!

If you build it, they will come!

A breakfast with Great Grandpa Brenneman and a bonfire at the cabin rounded out wonderful week in Iowa.

(More on the travels to come, but the next post will likely be an update on Andreas and his eyes.)

Simona and I left on the first leg of the trip on August 4. We drove from Atlanta to Nashville, where we stopped to have lunch with our friend and former church small-group member, Kyla. It was Simona’s first time in Tennessee, and a HOT day it was. Still, it was great to see Kyla and spend some time catching up with her.

Our drive took us through Kentucky, Illinois, and just across the Mississippi into St. Louis, Missouri. (KY and MO were new states for Simona, too.) She did VERY well on the drive but was quite fussy and unhappy about taking a quick peek at the Arch before checking into our hotel. Turns out, the poor girl had a fever and got sick upon our arrival at the hotel!

The four hour drive from St. Louis to Iowa also passed quickly, and before we knew it, we were at Grandma & Grandpa’s! We even beat Caleb and Andreas, whose morning flight was delayed in Chicago.

We were quite happy to be in town for summer wedding #4, which was Caleb’s brother Wyatt.
Wyatt and Grace met as young children and grew up just a few houses apart from one another. Despite a shared childhood, they didn’t start dating until shortly before graduating from high school. They dated long-distance through four years of college and were married on August 7.

The wedding ceremony was a small, family event that took place in the woods behind Caleb’s parents’ house, next to the cabin at the back of the property. It rained the morning of the wedding, but that couldn’t put a damper on the occasion. Caleb made a handsome groomsman, while Simona did a wonderful job of spreading flower petals in the special dress her Grandma made for the wedding. And, most importantly, the bride and groom were thrilled to become Mr. and Mrs.

The flower girl and groom, waiting out the rain before the ceremony:

Wyatt even wore the same suit his father wore when he got married, almost exactly 32 years before!

The reception took place that evening, which allowed the kids time for naps (and us time to dry off!) before heading in to Cedar Rapids. We had a great time catching up with family and friends, though I unfortunately didn’t get to take pictures since I was mostly busy with the kids.

It was a privilege to watch Grace and Wyatt become husband and wife, and we were honored to be part of the ceremony and reception. We’re excited to have Grace part of the family, and I am excited to have my very first sister-in-law!

Congratulations, you two! We wish you many years of happiness!

(More on the rest of the time in Iowa and the remainder of the road trip to come. . .)

Confused yet? Overwhelmed by all of it? Just think of my parents- three brides in four months!

Despite all of the jokes about wedding marathons, wedding burnout, etc., we have enjoyed immensely the chance to be involved in such a major life event for so many people we love dearly. Plus, we’ve loved getting to see our extended family (especially on my side!) much more frequently than we normally would.

Here is the report on the first of the 2010 weddings.

L&S, May 8, 2010, in Peachtree City, GA
My co-middle-sister got married days after we moved to the Peach State. We joke that her wedding was so important to us that we brought everything we own when we came down from DC. My parents’ house was full of friends and family for several days, and we had a great time visiting with them. More importantly, it was a great privilege to be involved in the union of Linda and Sam’s lives. Caleb is thrilled to finally have a brother-in-law, as the female-skewed family is finally starting to balance out.

Caleb and I were drafted into helping with “Kranz binden,” or binding the wreath that is traditionally placed around the doorway of a marrying couple’s home. (A similar wreath is made by friends & family to mark milestone anniversaries, too.)

The wreath:

The official wedding festivities began Friday morning with a bridesmaid brunch at my parents’ house.

After getting our nails done (a rare occasion for me!), we had a short break before convening at our home church for the rehearsal.

This was followed by a beautiful, fun rehearsal dinner, which included the bridal party and family.

After the rehearsal dinner, we all headed back to my parents’ house for the Polterabend, which is the traditional German party that takes place in the days before the wedding. Typically, the wedding itself is attended only by the innermost circle, but the Polterabend is a more casual event that includes neighbors, colleagues, and casual friends. Guests break porcelain dishes on the doorstep of the marrying couple, an act which supposedly brings good luck. The couple then sweeps up the shard as their first act of working together.

Wedding day itself brought another full day of activity for the ladies, while I hear the men enjoyed a relaxed morning followed by a leisurely lunch. (I still think we had more fun, though. . . and hey- it takes time to look as good as we did!!)

Hair and makeup were first on the agenda:

After lunch, we got to put on our beautiful dresses for some pictures.

We headed over to the church for an elegant ceremony. Simona did a knock-out job as a flower girl, and the bride and groom were stunning.

The evening concluded with an amazing reception, complete with great food, a rocking band, and a happy couple.

Congratulations to the newly weds! We wish you many, many years of happiness. Welcome to the family, Sam!

The big news for our big girl is that Simona turned FOUR years old in June. We can hardly believe that we only have one more year before she has to go to school full-time.
Her celebration was somewhat muted as compared to last year, when we had a “family” party in Iowa on her actual birthday and a joint “friends” party with Caed, a neighbor & classmate whose birthday is the same week.

This year, we began the day in German fashion, with a table decorated with fresh flowers and a special breakfast. Her choice was to make pancakes with her Papa, and we enjoyed them with blueberries, applesauce, and mango juice.

Afterwards, we piled into the car for the drive to Peachtree City, where we spent the day watching World Cup Soccer, swimming, and celebrating her birthday again with more family. Her great-grandma, great aunt & uncle, and grandparents were all too happy to share in the party, complete with the “blueberry & vanilla, green-pink-and-purple” cake she requested. She opened plenty of gifts and cards and overall had a great day. (Thanks to all who made her feel special with calls, cards, and packages!)

Another recent Simona milestone was her second-ever haircut. Because she took the first two years of life to grow a full head of hair, it’s taken quite a while to grow her hair long, which is how she wants it. This was a 3 inch trim, again performed in “Salon Mama.” It turned out pretty well, but we forgot to take an “after” picture!

The other major highlight for Simona this summer has been SWIMMING. The girl spends so much time in the water, she may soon grow flippers! Between the pool at our apartment complex, the pool at my parents’ house, swimming lessons at a public pool, and the lake at my parents’ lakehouse in Alabama, she spends HOURS every week in the water. Her group lessons have been a fun chance to interact with other kids, and she has learned a fair amount; however, I think she won’t quite be a fully proficient swimmer by the time the end next week. No fear, though- it won’t take long before she’s fully morphed into the Little Mermaid she would love to be. A few pictures of her water adventures:

Swimming with Papa:

Kicking at swim lessons:

Swimming at the lake:

On the jet ski with her Opa:

Overall, Simona is a funny, smart, caring girl. She loves to take care of her little brother, adores being told stories, and chews gum any chance she gets. She is a girly girl, accessorizing her outfits, asking for make-up, choosing to wear dresses, etc., but she also enjoys running and climbing at the playground, riding her bike, and watching herself do a silly dance or make a silly face in front of a mirror.
Life is not only roses with a four-year-old at home, as she understands EVERYTHING and can no longer easily be redirected or distracted. We can see our own parenting flaws when she mirrors our poor behavior, challenging us to be more patient, gracious, and loving in our interactions with her and with others. She is discovering more of the world every day and constantly asks not only “why?” questions, but also “what if. . .?” questions. We are amazed and privileged to be witnesses and number one fans to our sweet Simona.

In July, a good friend emailed a group of moms and asked if anyone wanted to go peach picking in early August.  Now, I am ashamed to admit that, despite being from PEACHTREE CITY in the PEACH STATE, I had never been peach picking before.  And since I do love peaches, I figured a Friday spent picking peaches in the fresh non-city air would be fun.  So I replied that I’d be up for it.

Come Peach-picking Eve, however, I realized that the next day was going to be a *mite* crazy.  I was scheduled for a 20-mile marathon training run, and we were supposed to meet in rural Virginia at the orchard at 10:30 AM.  Little did I realize that the orchard was an HOUR AND A HALF drive from our house, which meant loading up the kids to head out by 8:45 AM.  But by then, I decided it was too late to back out on my friend, despite Caleb’s urging me to reconsider.

The next morning, I overslept and did not end up with time for my long run.  That meant another day of hydrating and mentally preparing to run 20 miles.  In the meantime, I got the kids ready and headed out the door remarkably punctually, since I had an extra few hours in my morning.  We made a quick stop by the gas station to fill up, and somehow I managed to spray gas all over myself in the process.  After a brief debate about whether or not to run home to wash off, I opted to wipe down with baby wipes and continue on my way.

The peach picking itself went fairly well.  Minor “episodes” included Andreas eating part of a leaf and a handful of dirt, but otherwise, the morning in the countryside was great.  The drive was indeed a bit much, but I was feeling pretty good about the whole outing. . .

Peach Orchard
   

. . . until I got home.  And realized that I had about 50 peaches, 15 tomatoes, and one HUGE zucchini to deal with.  I didn’t have any “canning” supplies, so I spent HOURS over the next few days looking up recipes for peaches, zucchini, and tomotoes.  Caleb gamely helped out in the kitchen, though I doubt having “bake night” for 3 or 4 days in a row was his idea of a good time.  We mashed and froze peaches for Andreas; ate LOTS of peaches ourselves; made zucchini bread, peach pie, and peach-berry cobbler (twice); and STILL had peaches to use up.  Some went bad, but we made a valiant attempt to not let any go to waste.  We suffered from a terrible fruit fly infestation (that I think we have just about under countrol now), and there were even a few ants appearing in our dining room.  I felt incredibly domestic. . . and I think Caleb just felt incredibly like he did not want to deal with ANY more peaches.  His estimate is that between driving, picking, looking up recipes, baking, cooking, freezing, mashing, etc., we probably spent a good 20 man hours on those peaches.

    
Moral of the story: If your gut AND your husband tell you it’s not such a great use of your time, you should probably listen.

As a child, I eagerly anticipated the return of the school year.  I loved finding out who my teachers and classmates would be, planning what I would wear for the first day of school, shopping for new binders and notebooks, and wondering if my friends would even recognize me with my new perm / braces / haircut / tan /etc.  (Shockingly, they always did.)

And, truth be told, I have finally- at the age of 28- admitted to myself that I am a nerd.  So I confess that I enjoyed the routine of the school day, the busyness of extracurricular activities, and even the challenge of learning Spanish / geometry / world history / grammar etc.

This year, I look forward to the end of summer because Simona will restart her “school year” at Little Learners Playschool.  Though I have absolutely loved having week after week with absolutely no structure to it, I am ready for a return to a bit of a “routine.”  Don’t get me wront- I have loved the relaxed mornings at home while Andreas learns to crawl, Simona dances to “Muffin Man,” and I do chores around the house.  Time at the playground has also not been scarce, and we have done our share of museums/ (water) spray parks/ zoo outings/ recreation center visits/ playdates with friends.  And we won’t be THAT busy with school two mornings a week.

Still, it’s time.  I need the routine of “having” to be somewhere on a regular basis, and Simona will benefit from seeing her little friends on a set schedule.  We will all be forced to be a bit more efficient about getting ourselves out the door some mornings and about using our time wisely, which encourages discipline and order.  (In addition to embracing my nerdiness, I have also embraced my German half and believe with all my heart that “Ordnung” is a good thing!)

I’m hoping that my rediscovery of discipline will include greater consistency in my priorities and better time management.  And, for you, my few but faithful readers, I hope this will translate to more frequent updates of the “photos” page.

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Other thoughts:  I started to write a really heavy post about some issues a few friends of mine are going through, but I didn’t have the emotional energy to do the subjects justice.  Let’s just say that a few friends are struggling with issues relating to childbearing and could really use prayers and positive thoughts.  These people and their challenges weigh heavily on my heart, and I am humbled by the lack of control we have over the situations life throws our way.  Savor every silver lining, but cry with every friend who’s hurting.  Painful, but real.

About two months ago or so, Simona started stopping to pet her “monkeys” that live in the trees between our house and the playground.  She always invites me to pet “Bilowa” or “Minkowna” or whatever name she makes up on the spot, and if I don’t pet the precise leaf she indicates, she’ll correct me and show me exactly where “Bilowa” is.

Cute, until you realize that there are about 30 trees between our house and the playground.  And that by the time we are on the way home, we are all hot, fussy, tired, hungry, and ready for lunch & naps.  Stopping to pet monkeys gets quite tedious, so I’ve had to limit the number of monkeys we can pet on the way home.  Recently, a fellow mom walked home with us for lunch.  Along the way, she and her daughter got to help pet monkeys, so eventually I told Simona that we would only be stopping for one more monkey.  Since I told Simona that in German, I translated it into English for my friend’s benefit, so she’d know she wouldn’t have many more to pet.

She just laughed and said (in her wonderful British accent), “Brilliant, isn’t it?  Did you ever envision being a mum would involve implementing the ‘One Monkey Rule’?”

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Update:  Some June pictures are up.  Pictures from Simona’s birthday & our trip to Iowa will be up soon, and July pictures will follow hopefully soon thereafter.