Mom after surgery

Sorry, I should have posted this before the Thanksgiving pics. This is my mom after brain surgery at the end of October. She's recovering wonderfully, as you can see from the other photos. Praise God for his mercy.

Great-Grandma time

Isaac gets a little love from Great-Grandma

rockin around

Isaac gets a chance to test out my mom's childhood rocking chair.

Looks like it fits!

Baby Hustler

Isaac gets his introduction to the Stolldorf love of games...we think he has potential.

Four Generations

Here we are...four generations...Isaac, me, Mom, and Grandma Rolison. Isaac is named in part to honor the Christian heritage of Grandma's family. Her maiden name is Isaacs.

Isaac and Papa

Papa Stolldorf enjoying some male bonding time with his camouflaged grandson.

good to be home

Isaac was excited about the prospect of Thanksgiving pies...mmm!

visiting the Bragdons

Isaac with his Uncle David.

Ellen and Baby. Maybe this isn't the best picture to show off the belly, but at 25 weeks, she's really popping out. Due date: January 25. Ellen and David have heroically hosted me this whole weekend. Ellen drove me to Richmond and back for the wedding, put up with fussy babies, and been my on-call babysitter. They have treated me fabulously.

the Stolldorf women

Mom, Allie, Isaac, and me.

Allie and Isaac

One fabulous bonus of flying to VA for Heather's wedding....getting to see Mom, Dad, and Allie. It's been awhile, and was so good to connect with them.

and up next we have...

It was an honor to be in this beautiful lady's wedding. Heather and I have been friends for... 17 years.

My dear friend, Heather, married Daniel (who I knew from homeschool coop days, oddly enough) this weekend. See how happy they look?

great-grandparents

Isaac got to meet Granny and Merle for the first time. Granny was very excited to meet her first great-grandbaby. Isaac was quite the charmer.

smoky the bear says....

The Darlings, Patenaudes, Wetzles, and us, hiking around at an old quarry near our campsite. It was our first camping trip with a baby. Dirty, but very fun!

movin to the country, gonna eat me a lot of peaches

Isaac, after eating a WHOLE CAN of peaches in one sitting (I kid you not)...and yes, the thought of the teen years sends me quaking in my boots.

happily ever after

our dear friends, svetlana and elijah, on their big day--September 16th, 2006. Yay for true love!

state fair fun

The state fair is such fun. We get in free because Vance volunteers at the U of M horticulture booth. One of our favorite places is the Miracle of Birth barn, where you get to see all kinds of mamas and babies in various stages of labor, delivery, and newbornhood. Isaac is checking out the baby piglets with Vance.

family heirloom

This is actually my brother's old outfit. It's hard to imagine AJ, my 6'7" brother, in this cute little outfit!

this is my child eating peas...what a wonderful mess!

my melon boy

...just look at that smile!

...here's my little guy with a little melon...the fruit of our semi-abandoned vegetable garden

Charles Bridge

Terri and Isaaac on the Charles Bridge, Prague. On the hill in the background is the largest castle in Europe, just in case you were curious.

Feast to famine

When Vance's program offered to fund a wrap-up session in Prague, we found ourselves in one of the nicest hotels we'd ever stayed in. A suede couch, terry-cloth robes, slippers, a bathtub, a real queen-sized bed (not the usual twin beds pushed together), a safe (like we needed it!), an amazing breakfast, and even a complimentary bottle of wine. We were living high on the hog, for two nights, at least.

Then reality hit. Not being able to pay for the extra 2 nights we were staying in Prague, we decided to look up the hostel scene. A full hostel booked us for another one down the road, and thus we ended up in the crummiest hostel I'd ever stayed in. It looked like something held over from the communist era. Our questionably sanitized room was conveniently located next to a bunch of perenially partying or sloshed Frenchman, a toilet with no toilet paper, a bathroom with broken lights, and stale corn flakes for breakfast. We were suitably humbled from our previously exalted state, reminded of our grad-student family roots. And boy, were we ready to get back to our apartment in Hannover!

The door of the Schlosskirche in Wittenburg, where Luther nailed the 95 Theses. Unfortunately, the church door no longer functions as a bulletin board...the new brass doors have Luther's revolutionary statements permanently engraved.

Mm mm good!

Isaac's first taste of rice cereal. He's just like his dad...ready to eat anything that comes his way! This picture is from a month and a half ago (sorry I'm behind). Now he loves sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, oatmeal, bananas, applesauce...you name it!

Like father, like son

Behold, the reason why we do not yet own a tv.

Luther's study, where he put his hiding to good use and

translated the New Testament into German in only 10 weeks.

Wartburg Fortress, where Luther hid from the Catholic Church, disguised as Junker Jorg

No summary of our German summer would be complete without a photo of World Cup fans. It's a unique experience to ride the metro with a bunch of Polish fans exuberantly singing "Shalalalala"...after their team had lost.

Isaac loved Germany. Really, he did!

Whatever he's doing, it looks complicated and scientific. Vance at work, folks.

Isaac gets a chance to experience friendly statues at the Rathaus

Getting ready to board the wonderful world of public transportation