Durnstein Castle

A beautiful day along the Danube River hiking up to the Durnstein Castle!

Biking Along the Danube River Again!

I think my new favorite family activity is biking on the Danube River :)

We spent another amazing after afternoon along the Danube River with friends!  This time we biked on the more popular (hence, also busier) side of the River.  We started in the town of Spitz and rode all the way to Durnstein--15 km away!  We stopped along the way at St. Michael's Church and at a Heuriger/Restaraunt where the adults enjoyed wine and the kids enjoyed the playground.  Upon arriving in Durnstein we had some delicious handmade ice cream and then headed to playground, with the castle ruins in the background.  The dads stayed with the kids and the rest of the adults rode the 15 km back to Spitz to get the vans and pick up the rest of the crew before heading home! 

So thankful for family, friends, and the beauty all around!

Rene Mary’s trip for MaryClare

We were so blessed to have my mom, Rene Mary, with us these past 6 weeks in Austria!!

So much happened it that time... namely, the birth of MaryClare!  The kids absolutely loved having their "NeNe" with us... who oddly enough (because EVERYONE else calls her NeNe) Isaac insisted on calling "Grandma".  Sometimes it almost seemed like a jab (to the rest of us) - but it was definitely intended to be affectionate by him, I'm sure -- but he'd say things like "I love you, GRANDMA" - "Help me, GRANDMA"!

So many great memories made while she was here... but as always, the best times seemed to be the simple ones... reading books on the couch, helping to clean, walking to Mass or to Spar, baking ‘Grandma Sophie’ cookies (and trying not to eat them all), holding the baby, or chatting over meals together!

We are SO grateful for her visit and she will be deeply missed until we see her again next summer!

Here's a recap of SOME of the things we did during her time here:

"Hiking" in Hochschlag, a town nearby:

















Many Masses at the Kartause:







Playing at Haubis, the bread factory:





Visiting the nearby town of Scheibbs and cake-testing for Clare's baptism:





Visiting the hospital in Scheibbs to see Clare:





The view from our townhouses:



Buying new toys for the kids:







Being here for Ellie's six-and-a-half birthday:



Joining in on our community/friend gatherings:





Clare's first bath:



Clare's baptism (for which she was the proxy for the godparents):















Day trip to Wurbauerkogel Adventure Mountain in Windischgarsten with Brian, the kids, and the community as I stayed home to be with Clare:





















Day trip to Melk and Durnstein with Brian, the kids, and all the students:





Walking home from Spar:



Day trip to Salzburg with our whole family and all the students:











Being here for the kids’ first day of school (Ellie - 1st grade; Francis - second year of Kindergarten):

And, finally getting our ice cream at the Keller:

Thanks, Mom/Mother/NeNe/Grandma!! We love you!