Innsbruck

Innsbruck is cold this time of year, really cold and really beautiful. Here is Mark standing in the city square in downtown Innsbruck below the Goldenes Dachl, the most characteristic landmark in the city. Tirol is so picturesque all year round and it felt like coming home to spend an afternoon wandering its familiar streets. It was so cold, we had to duck into every tourist trap imaginable but it was fun to look at the trinkets there too. We ate a hearty meal at the Goldenes Dachl Cafe (sounds pretty Austrian doesn't it, wink, wink). There aren't many traditional Austrian restaurants open on a Sunday evening.

When we were nearly frozen, we decided to make our way back to the quiet town of Absam where we stayed overnight at the Landgasthof Bogner. We stayed at the same hotel when we visited Austria a few years ago, so it was fun to be back. The views from the gasthof are spectacular and the town is quaint, situated up in the alps.
We enjoyed every moment in Absam and were sorry to have to leave the next morning, but were excited to head back to Vienna.

On our way out of town, we recognized a familiar set of headlights and, star stricken, had to follow Herbie to get a picture so we could prove that we had seen him to our boys. Apparently, the Love Bug has officially retired to Absam in Tirol, not a bad choice if I do say so myself.

Sweet baby Luke loved the Alps! He thought the air was fresher, the milk tasted better (thanks to delicious Austrian food) and the sleeping was more peaceful snuggled against his dad's chest for warmth. He looked out the window as we drove back through Germany to reach Vienna.

Valentine's Day in Salzburg

I dream of Salzburg! I can close my eyes and see the clear water of the Salzach river as it rushes underneath bridges and reflects the picturesque beauty of the Festung on the rocky hilltop of hohe Salzburg and the majesty of cathedral spires reaching upward from below. Salzburg is the the city where "the hills are alive with the sound of music", a city full of romance and history, the city where I fell in love with Austria,......the city where I spent Valentine's Day with my sweetheart this year.

It snowed almost all day and dressed Salzburg's loveliness in thick white. Mark spent most of the day with little Luke tucked underneath his coat to keep him toasty warm.

I bundled up and remembered the cold that inevitably froze me to painful partial numbness as a missionary.

We sought refuge from the frosty cold in one of my favorite places in Salzburg.

Demel offers all kinds of chocolates, confections and cakes.
This cake is an example of their expertise.

If you ever want to taste sweet perfection, order the susser genuss.

Mark and I have established that he always orders better than I do. It was also true this time, although my Sacher Torte was delicious as well.

MMMMMMMMM! Satisfaction....

After enjoying Demel on Mozartplatz, we window shopped on Getreidegasse.

We investigated several charming alcoves and hidden courtyards.

This small courtyard was my favorite.

How lucky are we to be walking the streets of romantic Salzburg on Valentine's Day!?

Get your fresh Krapfen here! (Signs like this used to make young missionaries laugh.)

Mozart is all over the souvenirs in the shops on Getreidegasse. Mozart was kind enough to pose with Mark and then allowed us to buy some of his delicious Mozart Kugeln, delicious balls of chocolate filled with hazelnut and marzipan.

Mozart's Geburthaus

We stayed in Schloss Arenberg, a former palace, owned by the American Austria Foundation and the Salzburg Stiftung. It is the home of Salzburg Medical Seminars International and is found on the right bank of the Salzach river across from hohe Salzburg. They were kind enough to allow us to rent a room for the weekend since Mark is a Max Kade Fellow.

The grounds were also impressive, although we didn't explore too much because it was covered in deep snow.

The snowfall was impressive that night.

Luckily, our little monkey was snug in his warm coat and covered in blankets for the evening. He slept all during our Valentine's dinner.

We lucked out in our choice of restaurant. The "Pitter Keller" was down in the basement of a building on a remote street near Mozart's Wohnhaus. It was decorated like a traditional beer garden, filled with charm, and we even sat in non-smoking. (Austria is really growing up.)

After enjoying wurst, sauerkraut, Wiener schnitzel and petersilerdapfeln, we had apfelstrudel mit vanillesauce for dessert. The waitress brought me a rose after dinner.

The schloss was filled with tulips for Valentine's Day. Tulips are my favorite flower. It was a perfect day. Thank you, Mark, for being my Valentine and making the day extraordinary. The best part about Valentine's Day was spending it with you. I love you!

Little Luke (3 weeks and a half weeks old)!

I promised Mark that I would try to update our blog while he is away this month on another rotation. This time he is taking in the sights of beloved Vienna, Austria (where we both served our missions) and working at a hospital there in his "spare" time. He has now been gone for just over a week and I haven't taken any pictures documenting Luke's growth since he left, because I am too busy surviving. I decided this needed to be remedied immediately, so here are the most recent pictures of our beautiful baby boy.

Calder Babies

Can you tell which one is which?

I'm a BIG kid now!

Now that Luke has joined our family, "baby" Benjamin seems to have grown up overnight. He seems so big and solid all of the sudden. (I'm sure his love of food has contributed to that.) He has easily assumed the role of big brother and walks around saying: "Baby Luke's crying" (whether Luke is crying or not). He comes to get me if he thinks Luke needs something or to notify me when he has found him asleep (he bursts into our room where Luke sleeps to check on his baby brother, much to my dismay). He loves to "hold" Luke and will ask at least once a day for me to place Luke on his lap so he can look at him.

Even though Benjamin adores Luke, he seems to feel the most displaced since Luke was born. It is hard to share Mom's attention with so many others! So, I dedicate this post to my baby Benjamin, who will always be one of my babies (whether he likes it or not).

Benjamin loves wearing hats (the way he catches his ears on baseball caps is endearing). His favorite toys to play with are Lightning McQueen, Buzz Lightyear and Woody, tools and dinosaurs. He still sucks his thumb and loves his blanket. He wants to sit on my lap or right next to me while I nurse Luke, just trying to be a part of things. He is a mama's boy and has taken a new interest in baby dolls because he watches me take care of Luke and wants to do the same. He usually ends up throwing the dolls around like they are balls rather than babies,
so Mark doesn't have to worry too much about his interest in dolls but might need to worry a little bit about Luke's safety. You can see that he actually grabbed a Barbie doll on this particular occasion and after carrying it to the family room, he dropped it on the floor and moved on to Buzz Lightyear.

When I ask him to smile, he squints his eyes and turns his lips up slightly.
He thinks he is one of the big kids and will take on any of his siblings, even his biggest brother Carston, when an injustice occurs. I guess you have to be scrappy when you come fifth in line.
He copies his brother Grant and follows him around (luckily, they play rather well together).
He loves to brush his teeth, because his toothbrush plays the Thomas the Tank Engine song, and wants to wear his Lightning McQueen crocs every day.
He loves to play pass and can throw a ball really well. He is particular, like his mom, and will put things away in their proper places and throw things in the garbage for me.
I love the way his baby blues sparkle when he smiles and am amused by the plethora of "dirty looks" he can give, even though he isn't mad. He just has an expressive face.
I am in love with my sweet Benjamin and his cute personality.

Valentines for Daddy

We made valentines for Daddy tonight and ate chocolate chip cookies in his honor:)

We love you and miss you, "Dr. Mark"!

We are learning to be Reverent

Moments like these are scarce at our house and deserve to be documented. This proves that our six little ones can hold still every once in a blue moon and that family home evening lessons aren't always a complete free for all.

Oh, how I love the fact that they are holding still!

I wish I could count on this happening again! We'll keep working on it.

Luke sat quietly, observing his reverent brothers and sister, in shock and amazement!