A Nice, Long Break

So this past week we've had a break from school called Energy Week, or Ski Week. Funny, though, that very few people from VCS actually ski. It's just that most of Europe takes to the slopes this week. We spent the week here in Vienna, though, getting some pretty important things done.
Here's a quick run-down of what we've been up to (sorry it's been a while):
~baby shopping
~moving furniture to get ready for Blank Frank's arrival
~hanging out with friends
~sleeping in!
~reading good books like Captivating, by John & Stasi Eldredge
~sipping Chai Lattes at Starbucks
~hosting a game & dinner party for the staff left in town over the break
~babysitting for some friends so they could enjoy a date
~watching movies
~baking & decorating Valentine cookies
~my favorite: watching Chris be silly in the baby crib!

Happy 70th Birthday, Bubba!

Happy Birthday Bubba! Here's a HUGE HUG from us to you:). We hope you have a super day.

Back by popular demand, it's another picture of Annie and Baby Frank!! 32 Weeks big. 

Counting the Days

That's what I'm doing, now that I know exactly how my last days this semester at VCS will be spent. Here's the low down, the down low, the skinny, the 411, whatever you want to call it.

We have a week off for SKI WEEK this coming week. Are we skiing? We WISH. But no. We're going baby shopping, going to the musical Mamma Mia, and relaxing in Vienna with some friends.

Then, I will teach full time 3 more weeks, until March 3. Then comes 1 week of me teaching until noon, and Linda Schwartz (an amazing lady, mom, sub, etc.) teaching in the afternoons. As of 12 noon on March 10th, I am not Mrs. Frank-teacher anymore, I am Mrs. Frank-wife and mom. MOM. Yikes. Linda will teach for three weeks until the permanent sub comes from the USA.

I'll then spend a few weeks waiting for Blank Frank's arrival, scheduled around April 1. I hope that's not a joke! I'll be washing his clothes, organizing his room, and cooking goodies to put in our freezer for dinners on nights when Chris & I are wiped out.

So that's the latest. Don't you feel privileged to know?

FREE crib!

This is Baby Frank's new bed! The Warner family from VCS gave us this crib for FREE! We are so thankful and excited for this gift. They also gave us a free bathtub and fire truck. We have been hugely blessed by the community at our school. The bed still needs a mattress and some more love, but we're on the way!

New Look

Hey! Some staff at VCS recently updated our school's website, and it looks great now. Please take a minute to check it out, and maybe you'll learn something new. You can see photos of staff and students, too!

www.viennachristianschool.org

Up, Up & Up

Hi. We prayed in my class this morning, like we normally do, but something struck me about it I'd like to tell you about.
A couple things to preface...fourth graders LOVE to pray and they LOVE to pray for Baby Frank! So he has been covered in prayer for months as his arrival draws nearer. What a blessing! So today, Rina, a sweet Japanese girl in my class, prayed for Baby Frank.
SIDENOTE: The Japanese language is full of what we call vowel sounds, so it's interesting to hear the language spoken or see it written because there are vowels EVERYWHERE. It's sometimes silly! I'm sure it makes total sense in Japan and they wonder why we have consonant blends:).
So Rina. She prayed today for God to help Baby Frank grow up and up and up. I thought that was a great way to ask God to continue the work He has started in Baby Frank already. I'm not sure if that means he will keep growing taller and taller and taller, because there isn't much room left in my stomach, but still, I am thankful for Rina's simple way of stating something I so much long for.

The Hot Dog Clan

This is from our field trip in December to the Vienna Christmas Market at the city hall, which here is called the Rathaus (meaning "advice house"). Glory, Elizabeth, Rina, me & Selyn all enjoyed those Kasekrainer hot dogs I mentioned yesterday. So you know what's on the docket for tonight's dinner! Also one more cool thing...my class managed to throw me a surprise birthday party today in the middle of math. Someone came and told me that Chris needed to talk to me for a few minutes and they'd watch my class. So, Chris detained me in his office for a few minutes while the kids prepared the classroom with confetti, signs, and chocolate covered marshmallows. Then the huge "SURPRISE!" greeting came when I arrived back from my chat with Chris. Wow...they really love to serve people...AND not work:) Hehe. Don't worry! We'll find the time to finish math later today. :)

You Know You're Pregnant When...

A student gives you a package of 3 sausages for your birthday!!! I must have mentioned once or twice that I really have been loving these sausages here called Kasekrainers, which are sausages filled with melted cheese. They serve them at outdoor stands in a long hot dog bun....mmmmm.....just what my prego tummy often wants...but does not need!

Anyway, today I opened up this gift and to my surprise! Sausages! Happy Birthday Mrs. Frank!

Hope you laugh as much as I did today:).

The determining Part

if you know what I mean :) look straight up here ^

4 Pounds of Fetal Power!

Just call me...

the VCS Tax Guru.
I held a couple meetings this week to help out the VCS staff with their US taxes. Today was the bigger meeting with all the second year people - filing for 2004. How'd you manage that, Chris??? It's called an extension. It allows us to qualify for a credit for living outside the US. So I helped explain that and walked them through the form. Then I ended up helping a few others with the 1040 too.

It's funny, cause I never thought of myself as good at taxes. But I just know how to do the things that I've had to do myself. So I guess I can explain those things to others pretty well. It was fun, actually - but I still don't care for taxes that much. It bugs me when they say "to fill in this blank, see document 9312" Then I look at document 9312 and it's 80 pages long!! Ugh. Thanks Uncle Sammy.

Viennarnia

Do you get it? Vienna + Narnia = Viennarnia

It IS winter, and there WAS Christmas, which was super by the way. There is NO white witch, except for Mrs. Frank after a long week with fourth graders AND being pregnant! And lastly, I CANNOT find my wardrobe anywhere! I guess there's no leaving Viennarnia for now. Come soon, spring!

In Vienna today, trees are frosted with perfectly fallen snow. Sidewalks are caked with perfectly muddied up slush. Eew! Necks are adorned with colorful scarves, and kids at VCS are armed with a bazillion new Christmas toys. What could better explain our first week back?
It's long and tiring trying to get back into the swing of things here with jet lag lagging us down. Thankfully, though, it's TGIF and dinner is almost ready!

One more note...a new belly picture is coming very soon...Blank Frank, and my stomach, are HUGE. I'm wondering if I'll make it until the end of March. More bigness to come!

A Few More

We had a great time hanging out with family in California over Christmas...here are a few more pictures.
~Chris & Carrington
~Anne & Leighton
~Chris & Grandpa Coleman (didn't mean for the lamp to look like his hat! hehe)

A Quick Recap

Here's a quick photo recap of the last few weeks of us galavanting around the USA~
~In N Out Burger
~Chris & Anne at the Luginbill family dinner
~Anne on Christmas morning
~Floats in building stages for the Rose Parade (THAT was cool:))
~Frank family on the beach! Yahoo!

Classic Quiz

So, we're in Indiana enjoying time with Anne's family right now. We're about to frost a bunch of Christmas cookies and put together some good questions for a classic Christmas movie trivia quiz. I think we're going to pull stuff from Holiday Inn, White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, and Miracle on 34th Street.
Fun, huh?

Are you serious?!?!?!

I've been working on some US tax stuff recently - for myself, and helping some of the newer staff at VCS. There are some different forms to fill out since we're overseas. Anyhow, I was looking through the IRS website, which has all kinds of good info on it. I found this page that is just unbelievable and funny!

Woah!

This is me at 24 weeks, one week ago. That's SIX MONTHS. Wow, I can't believe I'm 6 months pregant. Woah. We went to the doctor the other day, and he reports that Baby Frank, which I've told my class to call Blank Frank, since he has no name yet, weighs in at 950 grams. For those of you who are metrically challenged, that's about 2 pounds. It's amazing to me how much my trust of our doctor skyrockets after we meet with him again. Then it goes down, down, down as I find things to worry about, and then back up when we are reassured that things are okay. You'd think I could just trust him. But alas, I worry about things like preterm labor, chromosomal abnormalities, and flying across the Atlantic being pregnant.
Speaking of, we are flying to the USA in SIX days! We are getting super excited to spend time with both of our families over this short break. No one in the states has seen the belly yet, including YOU, so get ready!
In other pregnant news, I'm super TIRED. It takes all I have to give my energy all day at school and then climb up our stairs to get home. I know it comes with the territory, I'm just not good at being weak. I can usually fight it and just go on, but now my tiredness is taking over! Yikes! I'm trying to find times to nap while my students are at PE or music, so that's helpful. Babies take a lot of work, even before they arrive. Okay, that's enough writing for today. I'm off to bed! Goodnight:).

Christmas Poem by Lydia

One of my fourth graders wrote this poem on her own initiative this week, and I thought it was super cool and wanted to share it with you. Her name is Lydia, and she's Austrian.

I love Christmas!

You celebrate the birth of Jesus
He was born in Bethlehem
I wish I was one of the angels praising him
In Christmas you surely get more than one present
The Christmas cards I made are now ready to send
You get candy in every kind of flavor
But mostly I like Christmas becuase Jesus was born as our Savior!

Audit

Tomorrow's a big day for the business office at VCS. A lawyer/finance guy is coming to the school with his colleague to check out the books.

He might snoop

But he's allowed

He better be gone

Before my eyes droop

What's the stance

of the school cash

Manfred's the man

With our record's

he'll dance.