Gates' on the Go

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Gloria Sola Gates!


Little Gloria Sola Gates was born at 0114 on 06JUN07 at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. She was 7lbs, 12oz , 18 inches long and is a VERY beautiful and healthy baby. Her name is taken from a latin phrase meaning To God Alone Be The Glory.


Amy did very good during the birthing process, and the doctors and nurses on the floor were in awe of her experience and composure. Still, the birthing process is a grueling and painful one. We thank God that he kept both mother and baby safe and healthy through the ordeal.

Little Gloria's family came to escort her from the hospital in full battle rattle. As you can see below, she is very well protected!


HOOAHH!


Wrestling Champion!!


Gabriel’s wrestling season here in Germany has been quite an exciting adventure for the Gates family. Daddy coached the team as an assistant coach and had many opportunities to build into Gabriel’s development as a wrestler. Still, from practice one, Gabriel showed that he had natural abilities that just cannot be taught. A 2 time New York State champion and CW4 in the army served as our head coach. He constantly commented on Gabriel’s natural talent, and really loved watching him wrestle.

Gabriel finished off the season with 19 wins and 2 losses. He pinned just about every opponent and never lost by more than 3 points.

If you ask him what his favorite move is, he would say the double-leg takedown, and he executes it well. We look forward to many more successful seasons.

Spelling Bee Champion!


Many of you know our VERY capable daughter, Grace Louise. She had a chance to shine in the annual Baumholder Homeschooling Association's Spelling bee spanning kindergarten through 8th grade. Homeschooling is quite popular in the military community, and this is especially so here overseas. Grace has nearly replaced her father as the family story reader, and we are blessed to have her as the oldest of 5 children!

Grace competed in the annual spelling bee without missing one word and took the title of 1st place overall champion for the 2006-2007 school year.

We are so proud of our little champion Grace Louise!

Monday, January 01, 2007

The New A-Team


Here we are on New Year's Eve 'training' in the rain in the fields next to our house. The kids didn't want to go in even after an emergency potty episode for Greta, and swift winds.... they kept repeating that 'the rain won't stop a battle', and they were marching themselves in lines. Too cool.

So, this new year is full of promises from our Lord. I pray that we all may discover them through diligent study and prayer. It is our hopes that we will not allow the rains and winds of this new year to distract us from training up ourselves and our little ones in the ways of the Lord.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Der Psalter 127:4-5(Woo Hooo!!!!!!)


Need I say any more?

We are excited AGAIN!!

:)

Der Psalter 127:4-5

Wie Pfeile in der Hand eines Starken, so sind die Söhne der Jugendzeit.
Wohl dem, der seinen Köcher mit ihnen gefüllt hat! Sie werden nicht zuschanden, wenn sie mit ihren Feinden verhandeln im Tor.

Psalm 127:4-5


Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Gardening Gates Family


As many of you know, we love gardening. I find it perhaps the most therapeutic outlet for me. It is so nice to plant by seed and watch the seedlings grow up to producing crops. A certain pride is always heard in my voice when I speak of the producing garden that I've planted. What a great experience for the kids as well. We all get our hands dirty and each child gets to plant a row or two of seeds. The whole family gets to spend a few hours a night for weeks and weeks after I get home from work, and on the weekends. After the garden was established, it was a nice spot to sit back in chairs, sip on a beer or two, and watch/coach the children watering the crops as the sun dropped lower in the sky.

If you look behind us, you can see the rabbit pen/yard that we put together for the rabbits and kids(click the pictures you see to enlarge them!). This was a nice diversion for the kids and adults alike. We could release the rabbits in the pen and sit and play with them or just watch them run circles around eachother. Unfortunately, as we found out a few weeks ago, the pen does nothing whatsoever in keeping Gustav OUT. Gabriel and Greta had almost witnessed certain death of one of our rabbits when Gustav easily leaped the fence and cornered one of the rabbits. Gabriel braved the barking dog and scratching rabbit and put himself between Gustav and the rabbit.... then lifted it high in the air over Gustav and got out of the pen and away from Gustav until mommy could come to the final rescue.

We miss you all, but we are loving life here in Germany, and the Lord is blessing us every day.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Daddy's Been Reading the Label Again!


My husband, as most of you know, is a pharmacist and so I'm sure he spends countless hours reading the labels on all those bottles he sends out the distinct little window we all know and love. My daughters as most of you know, have been blessed with amazing hair that can stand in all directions at once until tamed by the comb and a lot of water.
Well one night after dinner, our family settled into their usual spots...kids cleared the table I took over the cleaning of the kitchen and Aaron headed upstairs to start the baths. I was peacefully scrubbing away the remains of a delicious dinner, when my ears atuned to wailing and nashing of teeth from the top level of our house. I wondered what on earth is going on in the bathroom. I could distinguish Greta's cry and knew it wasn't pain and from the silence of the others I figured there was nothing to cause me to panic.... I just wondered what all the fuss was. I contiued to wash dishes. Then, I could hear Gage crying something fierce but not pain. So I kept washing. Next came Grace, same sort of holler and finally Gabriel with a zealous cry from the preknowlege of whatever injustice was occurring to the others.
As I was finishing my kitchen detail, one by one my babes came down stairs in fresh jammies and taussled hair. I inquired of Greta what had caused all the commotion, She sobbed..."Daddy washed my hair!" In and of itself, hair washing is almost always Daddy's domain and is usually accompanied by mild resistance unlike the trauma of the night at hand. By the evening, I'm not interested in the things that are crawling in their hair, I just want to crawl into bed. Aaron has some remaining since of duty and so for years the kids actually get clean when Daddy gives them a bath. But this one particular night was a bit more grueling than most.
Curiosity took over and I started upstairs only to meet Aaron half way holding the conditioner bottle in hand. He looks up and says with a smirk, "Did you notice how shiny the kids hair is tonight and how fragrant it is? It says to rinse with cold water to ensure long lasting shine and fragrance." Daddy's been reading the labels again...

Monday, October 09, 2006


Our New Hee-Hee Foo-Foo

Here we are in the field behind our house(see the 12th century castle lichtenburg in the background?) with our latest addition to the clan. Gage calls him the hee-hee foo-foo (hee-hee is horsie and foo-foo is woof backwards). Our horsie roof roof is affectionately called Gustav or Gus and his official name is Bulbus Vom Hause Wagner(see his pedigree at http://great-dane.vomhausewagner.com/prog3/dogs/pedigree.mv?en+19417). He comes from the "anatomy" litter. His name may bring us lots of future stud contracts. Mr. Wagner is a veternarian/Great Dane breeder quite renowned in this area. Gus' German blood lines come from his Italian father and his French mother. He is four months old and is so heavy we cannot hoist him into the back of the Excursion. He is not supposed to jump until he is older so he uses a ramp to get in and out of the car.

Gus is everything we could hope for in a dog and then some...he is so gentle his own bark startles him. The first night home the kids put pillows all around him and slept with the new baby on the floor. He is just like a toddler, wobbly on the stairs, tasting everything he sees and distracted by every little flutter. Unlike our toddlers he doesn't use a diaper and upon his first "little" accicedent I completely validated Gages half horse half dog surveyance. Wow!

We already love Gus and appreciate him for the extra affection he bestows to anyone in his path. We see him growing up with our little cubs who will be off to college when he sees his old age. We hope to have many adventures with our new pal. May God grant him health and safety and lots of bladder control...

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Junk Day Parade

A neighbor came to the door today, Saturday, to let us know that twice a year here in Germany, you are allowed to put out in front of your house all the stuff you want to get rid of but can't put in the trash cans like old wood and metal scraps broken furniture, old bikes etc. We put out an old metal mattress springs, some particle board, a satellite dish, broken toy stroller some old carpet, a tv, a vaccuum and broken bunk bed pieces (this stuff was all here when we moved in.)

Our neighbor advised us to move the kids' bikes to the back yard because a parade would be starting and wouldn't end until the junk trucks came on Monday. We took the advice and had the stuff out and the bikes put away but we hadn't even finished putting these out when a truck pulled up and took the sattelite dish and the bed springs. Gone! We were impressed to say the least. Now as we hear a truck pull into our turn- around (we live at the end of the street) at least every 7 minutes, our impression has turned to astonishment.

We have seen big trucks...wait a minute...there are no pickup trucks here...none...when I say truck it is like a van. We have seen small trucks. We have seen the common sedan with a small trailer and our favorite is the motorcycle with a homemade trailer in tow. It is really quite an event. These people are serious junkers. The neighbor says it is mostly the Poles who come for the stuff. I guess the Polish can get some money somewhere for the things the Germans want to get rid of. We know some people from post who get up really early and start combing the neighborhoods looking for old furniture. One man's trash is another man's treasure no matter where you are in this world.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Labor Day Weekend


Labor day weekend for us was an immersion into the Italian culture. Our notorious night time driving successfully took us from Kusel, Germany to Vicenza, Italy leaving at 9:00 in the evening and arriving before anything was open. We parked and slept in the car for a few hours. Waking to the horrifying sound of Gracie saying, "My tummy feels ishy," and then the follow up sound and then the clean up.

Well, at this point we needed some reinforcement and Aaron made his first contact with the loveable Italians. He ventured into a small cafe and ordered cappuccino. The waitress came to meet all the children and she talked and talked and asked us questions and raved about 4 children, "Bravo, Amore, Bravisimo!!!" We didn't understand her words but we understood her meaning. She wasn't at all daunted by our inability to participate in the conversation except with profuse nodding and silly smiles. This type of incounter followed us the rest of the weekend.

Our first night in Vicenza we went downtown. We walked around looking at people and window shopping. The stores are outrageous! It's like being in a chic magazine where the product is never actually purchased. We found Baby Armani...$500.00 baby outfits. No joke, a pair of baby mittens were $350.00. We had to laugh at least a little when Greta licked a window.

Restaurants don't open until 1900(7pm), so when you need to take a break and there is no hope for food, you sit in an outside cafe and order drinks for grown ups only, because soda and water purchases will send a young couple to the poor house fast. Glasses of wine are served with potatoe chips.

Dinner is a special challenge when you travel with little ones. They are tired and it is dark when the food comes. After the prima piate(can't remember spelling), Greta crawled into the stroller, kicked her shoes off and went to sleep. She's my hero. Dinner was good and the wine was even better. After dinner, we tried to find the car. There was a parade at 9:00 at night and the streets were blocked. The parade was girls with batons and brass bands. We couldn't believe how many different clubs were represented. It was like seeing Marsha Brady through a flies eyes.

Verona, the next day, was very relaxing and pleasant. We were again in a resort area with surreal shopping. We sat for an hour and a half at an outside corner cafe drinking wine and eating foccaccia bread pizza. We watched another parade...a reenactment of some Italian war. The troups came through the cobblestone streets on horseback. There is something transcendent about the sound of hoofs on cobblestone. After amazing coconut gelato(ice cream) and coffee we found a park and let the kids play. The other Italians found the park to take their daily nap. That night we went to the town square for dinner in the piazza. Fabulous. The piazzas are these ancient marketplace settings scattered throughout the towns and they are generally large cobblestoned or brick open places lined with cafes and ristaurantes all with outside seating. It is generally found deep inside a city and is often a surprise when you find it. There are a lot of them in Venice. We have found that a really good way to enjoy Italy is to sit in these outside cafes and order a bottle of wine.... sit there for as long as you can stand it.... and then wander around for a while.... just to find another piazza and sit.... people watch.... etc. Pretty neat.

Venice (Venezia) surpassed the majesty of both Vicenza and Verona. We parked in Fusina and ferried over. Having the wind in our hair and the ocean sprayed on our faces was the best way to enter this amazing city. Greta was so thrilled with the boat ride. She stood up, giddy, squealling, to our dismay, with delight! It was contagious.

We met street merchants we had products we could actually buy. I haggled a merchant down from 2 euro to 1 euro for a little cheapie toy for each kid. Yeah Me! We watched a man use reeds to make origami bugs. We bought a grasshopper and a praying mantis.

We found our way to St. Marc's square. The great Basilica, the incredible museums...all overshot by us as we played with the pigeons. We had great fun feeding them corn and having them land on us. Grace and Gabriel were able to catch and hold a few. We will have to go back and visit.

We enjoyed the Murano glass shops. So beautiful.

We went for a ride on a gondola. Hearing the Gondolier give a shouts of warning as we made blind turns, his songs and his affectionate hellos to other Gondoliers made the ride very memorable.

Our favorite time of the day was after dinner sitting out on a small piazza watching some Itallian children play hide and seek. We were enjoying our "to go" gelato listening to the children play and cheering two men who were hoisting a bed frame up a few stories and into a window. The whole piazza cheered when they finally got it in the window.

Oh yes. The kids were thrilled with the actors who looked like statues and would come alive when money was put in their box. We have seen these things in San Francisco.

The trip was just a surface scratch to what these famous cities have to offer.