Merry Christmas!

We hope that you have a wonderful & blessed Christmas!

As you know we were hoping to blog everyday in Dec. but we might need to take a little break and blog a little more in Jan!  :)  The ski mountains are calling us and we are going on a VACATION!  We thought we would be able to blog while we are there but we discovered our place doesn't have WiFi.  Hopefully, there will be a Starbucks around somewhere and we can check in at some point! :)  We will be back before the new year so you should be hearing from us again soon....we will have to let you know how Isaac does in ski school! :)

KATAKOLON: Olympia- Our last stop

This port was so different from the others we had visited.  It was very small town and the surrounding area was green and the countryside was lush.  This was the only port that we did a  excursion with the cruise line.  It was at least 40 mins from the port to the Ancient Olympia site and then we wanted to hear some of history of the area.

This is part of the Olympic site....it was very pretty and the weather was perfect!

We were the typical tourists with earphones and tags sporting what group we were with.

Of course most of it was ruins but there was still a few things standing.

Here was our tour guide with one of those flip books that has past/present sketches.  They are kinda cool for us visual folks. :)

They still use this area today to light the offical "Olympic Flame".  They use the device pictured and it is lit from the sun.

This was the entrance to the stadium.

My strong man! :)

We both ran a lap around the field. The green grass is where everyone would have sat.  We were inspired to keep our running up....did we tell you we want to do another half marathon and a spirit triathlon in 2013!

A little celebration!

It was a fun time and we were glad we went on a tour to hear more about the area.  

We then went back to the town and had a little food, did a little shopping and then saw this sign.  Guess where we went next!?

Yes, this time I even enjoyed the water!

Being ever the romantic...Marc had bought a copy of our wedding vows!  It was a wonderful celebration of our 10 years...here's to many more...(and more awesome cruises too!)

Christmas Tour

Since you can't come here, we thought we would show you a few photos of our Christmas decorations.  I wish I was better at taking photos, because it's hard to capture a house on camera.
Anyway, WELCOME to our home!  Here are the stockings that I got the kids last year and they really enjoy them!  They point to them every morning and love looking at them.

When you come into our house we have this long wall that holds the kids' coats and other things.  This year it is where the kids' stockings got placed (above their pictures) and the awesome "tree" quilt that my Mom made me!  You can also see our kitchen in the background with our TINY oven and the refrigerator below (also small) which is where Isaac has been taping up his art work. :)

I know I showed you this last year, but didn't my Mom do an awesome job on this quilt?!  It has a fun 3D effect that the camera doesn't pick up.

Our tree!  I like funky ( & less than perfect) trees and this one fits the bill.  It is tall and skinny which is perfect for this spot.  The kids have been their own decorators and have been "re-arranging" the tree :) on a daily basis...

The piano has some nice Christmas plants this year.  I love live plants (although my thumb isn't so green). 

This is an advent wreath on our dining room table.  You burn a candle on each of the 4 Sundays before Christmas...hence the numbers on the candles.

My Mom got us this "Little People" navity last year and the kids love it!  Last year it was all over the house, with Baby Jesus lost most of the time. So this year I have used this tray to corral it and the tray has worked well.

We do have a great electric fireplace that is perfect for the winter.  How do you like the new team member to the crew?  His name changes often but he is currently Dora...

Another view of Dora the deer. :) Hey! You have to have fun with decorating!!!

Silence

Our Schin op Geul Adventure + Remembrance Silence

WOW, my heart has been so saddened by the shootings in Connecticut.  I am sure your heart hurts too.  It is hard to know why such crazy things happen but it is a reminder to PRAY and hug our loved ones a little closer.  Life is so precious.

I look at these pictures that we took a couple weeks ago at a local indoor play place and I am so thankful for these awesome kiddos and their smiling faces!  God knew what he was doing when he gave us these little ones.  They keep us on our toes! :)  Here are some fun pics to enjoy!

This play place had everything....from balls...

to toboggan slides

& huge building blocks. How awesome is this!?

Here are some fun pics that I took of Marc and the kiddos (it's almost impossible to get one where they are all looking)...enjoy!

These little people are what life is all about!!
We will be doing a blogging day of silence tomorrow in honor of lives lost at Sandy Hook...please pray with us tomorrow for them?

Our weekend

On Friday night Marc took the kids to his work Christmas party.  I was still in "stomach bug" recovery mode and slept the entire time they were gone.  Here is Isabella enjoying some turkey.  They always have a huge spread of food.

The kids did awesome, as Marc made them adhere to the "Eat First -- Then Sweet Treats" mantra...After being carnivores, here is Ava enjoying her candy cane.

A group shot.  This is the American group that he works with. Can you find the Crew?

The next day involved some serious downtime. Isabella did her first big puzzle all by herself. (Ok, so there may have been a little assistance, but she initiated when she needed help...Remember her "Me do it!")

Isaac is always up for a good puzzle.

iMan was the first up & then iGirl...so Ava had to catch up to her brother & sister...That was a "Butterfly" for the informed Tag-Team of Grandma June & Uncle Jon...Pancake eating is very much a part of most weekend mornings.

Isaac has been intentional about planning activities...On this Saturday, the agenda went like this: Watch Signing Time; Eat Pancakes; and then Play games.

...Again, Ava needed to get up to speed with the other two, so here is more pancake eating.  The Grandma June - Uncle Jon Combo taught us how to make shapes with the pancakes so it is a common request.  Here was a spider :)

...Now with the full Crew, they decided it was time for everyone to hit a little "arts & crafts" time.

The sun came out while the girls were napping, so Daddy & iMan hit to the back patio for some outside time...Daddy really wanted to check iMan's Scooter Skills!

All their outside toys are in the basement for winter, so Marc pulled out enough to outfit the Crew - 1 each scooter; 1 each iMan bike; 1 each Ava bike; 1 each car (above); 1 each car (below) ... I love this picture of Ava!!! {What do you think?}

This picture makes me laugh because Isabella has a thousand faces.  She is our intense Isabella :)

Isaac and Daddy made this "Frosty The Snowman" last weekend and all week Isaac has been going out to visit it and see how much is left!  Slowly it is melting away and Isaac has been sad...he is ready for more snow!

We got a babysitter for the kids so we could go to the Christmas market in Aachen, Germany.  It was a fun time and SO crowded!

The picture doesn't do it justice, because they had beautiful lights up on the buildings.  

The Christmas markets are really fun and it always feels so festive to be at them!
Today has been pretty low-key.  We did Church and then some grocery shopping to get ready for the week....

Team Spirit - 12th Man in the Netherlands :)

Marc had the kids decked out last weekend for the annual Army Navy game! 
The game is huge & both sides put a lot of effort into pumping up their team + Fans (at the stadium / around the world). 
  (click the words for a link to a funny example) 
The rivalry is very real, so it's always interesting and motivating to watch...
We wish our Team Shafer Netherlands' spirit could have helped them win this year, but maybe 2013 will by an Army Team year! :)

Giving a cheer for the team! 
The symbolism of the 12th Man is what is represented on Marc's shirt with the numbers...but did you know about the 13th Man?

Next year we'll do a ROCKET & maybe that will be just the right thing :) The Rocket is a cheer that all cadets and graduates gravitate / rally around. And yes, it is part of the required "plebe knowledge." (see for yourself by clicking these links)

The motivation was definitely all over...
Here are some other folks doing spirit events of their own:
West Point cadets
deployed Soldiers
160th Ft Campbell
GO ARMY! BEAT NAVY!