The last days of summer

Summer is almost over in Vienna. The kids go back to school on Monday. With all of the breaks throughout the year, summer break is only 2 months long. It has been a busy summer and it has gone by really fast. The kids are excited to go back and see all of their friends. I can't believe that Carli is in 2nd grade! She is growing up so fast! And this year Caleb is a Vorschulkind which means that he gets to do more things that he couldn't do last year, like fieldtrips. Then next year, he will be a firstgrader! Cotter is staying home this year, but will go to Kindergarten next year. Here are a few pictures for you...

The kids LOVE snails! They are everywhere here- especially after it rains!

Sea Organ

We spent one day in Zadar, Croatia. I really enjoyed this city. It was vary unique and different. Apparently, the buildings were made by the same people who built Venice, Italy so I loved the architecture. We saw one of the coolest things that I have ever seen there. It is a organ that is played by the waves of the sea. I found a description of it at this website.

"The musical Sea Organ (morske orgulje) is located on the shores of Zadar, Croatia, and is the world’s first musical pipe organs that is played by the sea. Simple and elegant steps, carved in white stone, were built on the quayside. Underneath, there are 35 musically tuned tubes with whistle openings on the sidewalk. The movement of the sea pushes air through, and – depending on the size and velocity of the wave – musical chords are played. The waves create random harmonic sounds."

It was so beautiful and I tried to video it with my camera, but it doesn't do it justice. But, you can at least get a feel of what it sounded like.

Vir, Croatia

We just got back from a weeks vacation on an island off the coast of Croatia. We went with the Hübner family and had a blast! They also have 3 kids, so our kids loved the constant playmates. We spent all day swimming, playing cards, taking naps, laying out, reading books, having water fights, grilling food...ect. It was a much needed break and we loved spending time with good friends. Here are a few pictures from our trip...

Pizza

A few weeks ago Amanda, Alisha, and I went to Bratislava for pizza! We found out about this great store, Tesco, and found out that there was a Pizza Hut inside. Tesco is just like a Walmart, so we were so excited to see what we could find. I got a gingerbread mix, some Old El Paso seasonings and some Tang, (just to name a few)! The pizza was well worth the drive into another country!