The Freiberg temple

A few months ago (I'm trying to get all caught up. Can you tell?), our family took a day trip up to Freiberg with some good friends. Our goal? Attend the temple. For any of my friends who are curious about the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, feel free to read up on them here. 

This particular temple has an fascinating history. It was built in East Germany while the Iron Curtain was still standing strong. That fact alone amazes me. My friend Mary Anne posted about this temple recently. I strongly encourage you to go here and read all about it.

Here is our little family standing in front of the temple. 

While Erick and I attended a session, Mary Anne and Dusty watched all the kids. Then we took a turn with the kids, and Mary Anne and Dusty attended a session. Mary Anne and Dusty are so good with kids. They brought all sorts of toys and distractions. Then they even photographed the fun. The 'kids playing' pictures are courtesy of Mary Anne:

When Erick and I walked into the foyer of the temple, we were shocked to run into Brother and Sister Laing. Brother Laing worked with my dad at the Washington DC temple years ago. I house sat for them once, and they even attended our wedding reception in DC. Today they are temple missionaries serving right here in Freiberg, Germany. It is such a small world. We had a wonderful time catching up with them:

After meeting with the Laings, it was our turn to watch all the kiddos. We were not nearly as fun as Mary Anne and Dusty, but we still had a good time:

It was a beautiful day to attend the temple. I am so grateful that I have access to temples here in Germany. I'm even more grateful that I am married to a man who takes me there.

Captain!

A few weeks ago, Erick was promoted to captain. I am so very proud of my husband for all his hard work. He is a great man, a wonderful husband, and a dedicated soldier.

I want to thank Mary Anne and De'Shane for taking pictures of the promotion ceremony. I also want to thank Mary Anne for taking photos of my cute family afterward. I just love them! Take a look:

Standing in front of a crowded room:

LTC Lindsay said some kind words about Erick and the family:

LT Tally read his promotion orders while the soldiers stood at attention:

LTC Lindsay removed Erick's lieutenant rank and gave me the honor of placing Erick's captain rank on his uniform:

Traditionally, the person who places the rank on the uniform also punches the soldier in the chest to "make it stick." I decided to let the kids do the honors in this case. TJ knows how to punch:

Bailey was thrilled to get a chance:

Joey punched harder than them all:

As you can see, we had a great time. I'm sure that rank will stick really well with all of the effort these kids put into it:

I was surprised to receive a rose. I think these guys know that the wives are just as invested in this career as their husbands. It was a very nice gesture:

I had to include this photo just because TJ cracks me up!

After the ceremony, fellow soldiers offer their congratulations. I know Erick wouldn't be where he is today without De'Shane's mentor-ship and friendship:

I just love this photo. Mario has also been a huge part of Erick's career. Thanks Mario for teaching Erick so much:

It's kind of exciting to have a captain in the family. Again, congratulations Erick! I love you! No one deserves this more.

S'mores

I have the best neighbors. I really do. We all got together on an afternoon this summer and roasted marshmallows. I'd like to introduce you to a few of them. But first, I'd like to show you how David roasts his marshmallows.

This is David eating his "roasted" marshmallow:

How did he roast it you ask? He stood way back behind the chairs and extended his arm as far as he could. Look at that arm extension:

I tried to help him move closer to the fire pit, but he refused to get any closer. The fire is hot after all, and he definitely did not want to get burned:

See all those marshmallows? None of them are Davids:

Come on David! Reeeeeach!

Mmmm! That one was good! As you can see, he loved his cold marshmallows.

TJ's problem is that he got too close to the fire. Look at that charcoal-colored marshmallow:

He was not a fan of the burnt flavor. He tried to wipe off his tongue with his roasting stick:

Joey likes her marshmallows black:

Bailey's marshmallow is not in the picture, but if you know Bailey, you know that all of her marshmallows were picture perfect:

Now I will introduce you to a few of my neighbors who were there. I said it before, and I will say it again. I have the best neighbors! The lady in red is Rori. We are in her back yard. She has great ideas and always finds a way to have fun.  

Here she is sitting next to her husband Todd:

This is Joshua and Tanja with their son Aiden. Aiden plays with TJ a lot. This family is super nice and friendly:

The man in red is Steve. He is married to Gaby standing beside him:

Here is a better picture of Gaby. Steve and Gaby have such a nice family. Their daughters play with my kids all the time:

We have more neighbors, but many of them were out of town that day. Oh, and Erick and I were there too. See?

See you later!

A year in pictures 2012: Week 33

I swapped Friday and Saturday's picture because I think that Saturday's picture is more interesting, and I wanted it to be the one that shows on the blog feed. In case you were wondering...

Saturday 11 August

Tonight we had a lovely dinner with some new friends. From their backyard, we saw this interesting sight. Apparently, the hangman and the bird have always been part of this spire. This is where hangings used to take place in our small city. It's a little creepy, no?

Friday 10 August

Erick and I took a trip today sans kids (thanks Chanda!), and headed for Poland to do some pottery shopping. When we stopped for gas, we accidentally added the wrong fuel to our car. Luckily, we caught it before we drove on. But the result of our actions cut 4 1/2 hours off our one-day trip - and it cost us a good chunk of change.

Surprisingly, it was still one of the best days I have had in a while. I had a whole day with my man. 

Sunday 12 August

We stopped by a lake after church to take some quick pictures of the kids in their traditional Bavarian attire. Love these kids!

Monday 13 August

We took another day-trip to my favorite city Rothenburg. This trip will have it's own post eventually. I've mentioned this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but this is the city where Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was filmed. It was also the inspiration for Pinocchio. If you come visit me, I promise to take you there.

Tuesday 14 August

This is the only photo I took today. I love this kid!

Wednesday 15 August

I went to a luncheon today to welcome the wives of our new battalion commander and command sergeant major. Each of them received a bouquet of flowers in a vase on which was engraved our battalion shield.

Thursday 16 August

Today I witnessed a company change of command. I love many of the traditions of the Army. This is one of my favorites. 

This is basically how it works: The outgoing company commander gives the colors (flag) to the battalion commander. This means he is relinquishing his duty as commander. The battalion commander passes the colors to the incoming company commander. By accepting the colors, the new company commander is accepting the role of commander and accepting responsibility for the company formation. The new commander gives the colors to the 1st sergeant who is the "keeper of the colors."