In front of the church and the cherry
We are so very happy to finally settle in Minneapolis, MN. The past two years of frequent moves and literally living out of our suitcases were adventurous but tiring. We have traveled through multiple states and countries (and even the Sturgis bike rally), and have been blessed with safety and good health. We are so grateful for this time of year to reflect on how loving and mindful God is to all of us.
Wishing you the sweetest of seasons
Hans, Monica, Conrad, Riley, & Amelia
R A W H O U S E R
Amelia, now 14 months, is a happy and sociable little girl. Still toothless, she toddles along and races up and down the stairs on her belly trying to keep up with her brothers. She likes soft toys and purses (already), and is finally starting to get some hair. Our little “Guerita gordita” has been held by hundreds (well, maybe 50) of adoring new friends and strangers in Mexico. Some even asked to take a picture with her. She smiles often and amiably sits still while here protective big brothers dress her up, put clips in her hair, give her a Mohawk up do, or tie a ribbon around her waist to take her for a walk.
While in Mexico, Riley celebrated his 4th birthday, which included riding horses & tres leches cake. Also, the teenage girls that taught his summer recreation classes in Guadalajara loved his besos (kisses). Riley always seems to be marching right along with Conrad, except when it comes to music. While Conrad loves classical, routinely we will here a soft plea, “Turn it up, please” as we drive with Monica’s rock station on. But he is still a cowboy at heart & loves dressing up, playing with his horses, coloring pictures of farm animals & making very realistic machine gun sounds while “passing out” when he “gets shot”.
Conrad had success collecting aluminum cans in AZ (he is going to invest his earnings in gold, which he says “is going up”). He is currently in first grade at a school where he learns reading, writing, math, etc. in Spanish. As we knew it would be tough at first, we told him how spies need to know other languages (and also said that he could earn a gold unicorn coin). Conrad has also been perfecting his British & outrageous French accents as well as his talent for crossing one eye & moving the other. His eyes & nearly toothless grin are quite hilarious when he does his “crazy rabid squirrel” impersonation.
While in Mexico, Monica spent most of her time at UAG in an intensive Spanish speaking program. She also had “some work done” (don’t be afraid to ask). Monica loves MN and she has quickly learned to navigate Minneapolis (“Oh, that’s by _______,” insert Mall of America, IKEA, Target’s first store, Aveda HQ, etc.) Eager to mingle with the natives, she & the kids roamed the state fair grounds for 3 days sampling, pronto pups, and all things deep-fried and on a stick (including Snicker bars, Twinkies, cheese curds, freedom fries, & veggies). Needless to say she now does morning pilates to stay fit.
After receiving an MBA from Thunderbird, Hans is now undergoing (it feels like something that should end with –ectomy) a PhD at the U. of MN. But the summer in Mexico (which included people at spotlights spewing kerosene flameballs from their mouths, cow udder or fish egg-sack street tacos, the best coastal seafood cocktail ever, losing his wedding ring in the ocean, & being charged full price for the boot-leg-version-of-‘Tales from the Crypt’-without-any-commentary,-poor-lighting/air-circulation mummy museum) was a good breather.