The Heymann Family Journal

Hi, We are having a really nice Christmas. Last night I took Philip, Thomas, and Nicole to the service at 4pm. Juergen stayed home with Jessica who does not like crowds of people. Our church youth group had been working on the non-traditional Christmas play for about two months. They did a super job!!! My camera does not take good pictures in low light, so none of the pictures turned out good! We got home about 6:30pm, and opened gifts. Again, bad pictures (sorry). The boys were very excited about their long awaited Lego! Nicole got some great art stuff, and science stuff, and Jessica got a new book, and DVD. I got Juergen a new computer game, and he got me a new Jane Austen movie (Persuasion). I loved it, and had to watch it 4 times!!! I can not get over the amazing costumes and sets! Beautiful! We played until 2 in the morning, and slept until 10am. This morning we had a great brunch with fresh orange juice, and eggs Benedict! Juergen has 2 weeks off, so we are taking...

Last year Juergen and Jessica went to his parents house in North Germany on Christmas day, and I took Philip Thomas and Nicole to the West Coast of the USA for 3 weeks. We visited my family in Oregon, and then went to Southern California (Disneyland and San Diego). It was Thoma's first trip to the USA. He loved it! The people there are just so friendly! I remember taking him to a McDonald's indoor playground in Corvallis, Oregon. He played for hours with the other kids. One child even gave him his happy meal toy before he left. Thomas never gets that kind of acceptance in Germany! Another highlight of our trip was riding roller coasters with my adrenaline junkie sons! We rode California screaming at the California Adventure Disney park. I was afraid it might have been too much for them...but I was wrong! If we only had more time!!! In March we saw Sarah for the very first time. I had been praying to adopt from China. You could say I was obsessed with the idea! Po...

Jessica had it first, and then Nicole, now they have given it to me! I have the flu!!! Oh, I am so sick! Please pray for me! This is not fun!

Juergen goes to his company Christmas party tonight.The company has gotten very big, and wives, husbands, and others are not invited! That's OK with me. I never did like those things anyway! I think I'll pull out some Christmas movies. Juergen hates those kind of "Chick flicks". What should it be, "It's a wonderful life" or "Holiday Inn" I just love the line from It's a wonderful life, "To my big brother George, the richest man in town"!

SIMPLE WHITE ENVELOPE It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas -- oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- the overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else. Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth. I reached for something special , just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non- league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneake...

There are only 13 more days before Christmas. I have been in denial about the whole season. The weather in Germany has been more like October weather. It makes me think I've got a few more months to pull myself together! Any mom will tell you Christmas is what mom makes it! Dad only shops for Mom (and that always happens on December 24Th at around 11 am). Mom shops for everyone else! She is in charge of the Christmas crafts, cookies, special dinners, class parties, gifts for teachers and bus drivers, outings to the city Christmas markets, etc... and trust me this Mom is really behind schedule. I am just now making a list, and starting to realize I've got less then two weeks to make some magic! On Christmas day Juergen will be building Lego with the boys, Nicole will be playing with her new gifts (she reads this blog, so no more details), Jessica will be watching a new DVD, and I will be curling up on the big chair in the living room(maybe with a cup of hot coffee, hot...

You need to watch this. It is Juergen dancing to Jingle Bells dressed as an Elf. HERE . And HERE is Thomas as an elf! And I also have Philip HERE , I know this is getting old,but the kids want to see themselves as an elf! Nicole elf! Amy elf! Jessica elf! our dog Mickey elf. and last but not least... Sarah elf sings Jingle Bells in Chinese! PS.I made the kids skip school so they could learn the dance routine! What a talented family!!!

Hi, I am a little shaken up today. Let me explain... About two weeks ago a young German teenager walked into a high school and shot I believe 6 others, then shot and killed himself. This was something that happens in the USA, not here! Two days ago another young German teenager intended to do the some thing in my state.I guess he posted it on the Internet, that he would go into an unnamed high school in Baden-Württemberg,and kill people. There where police everywhere (at the schools of my children). The young man ended up killing himself in a forest. I felt really sad for his family. I am grateful he didn't manage to hurt or kill anyone else, but sad they did not manage to find him before he shot himself! Well, here is why I am shaken up, Philip came home early today (two hours early). I questioned him why. At first he said the teachers had sent them home, they had a meeting. At lunch time he told us police where all over his school. They were arresting a young teenage bo...

I read this today on a yahoo group, but it sounds pretty real... Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed" She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning. She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer. She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry. She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a t...

We are not getting any rest today. We have a very long to do list we are trying to work through before we go to China. I wish I knew when we would be able to travel to China to pick up Sarah. The not knowing is getting me down. I think all this hard work is good for me. I don't have to think...just work. Tonight I will fall into bed and sleep hard because I'm so tired. Please be praying with us to get our travel approval soon. We would love so much to travel during the kids Christmas vacation. I realize this is getting more and more unlikely...but with God all things are possible!